Illegal Immigration, What Do You Think As A Catholic?.

[Hassan]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' post='1804903' date='Mar 12 2009, 01:48 PM']Could you two please take your never-ending arguments to private messages? Please?[/quote]


I can't PM

But yes, I think we can let it go

[Madame Vengier]

[quote name='Hassan' post='1804840' date='Mar 12 2009, 12:37 PM']I understand this position, but there is no reason to divorce mercy from the discussion.[/quote]

There is no reason to divorce mercy from laws either. Our laws are clear on residency in the U.S. And America has shown enormous mercy in the welcoming of those immigrants (as well as refugees) from all over the world who have come here legally. This is evident in the fact that, illegal immigrants aside, America is the single most ethnically, culturally, racially and religiously diverse nation on the planet Earth. And we manage to achieve this without killing each other. I would say that Americans show a great deal of mercy towards the downtrodden and the needy.

[Madame Vengier]

[quote name='FiereMargriet' post='1804728' date='Mar 12 2009, 10:48 AM']I agree. I work with a good number of wonderful people who are immigrants, and there is a huge immigrant population around my town. No, I'm not well-versed on immigration laws, nor do I have a solution to offer. But the resurgent racism I've heard people espousing because of the influx of immigrants disgusts me. I know racism is a different thing from wanting to expel illegal immigrants, but as a Catholic I believe we should be merciful and understanding of our brothers and sisters who wanted to come to America as a result of less-than-ideal circumstances in their home countries.[/quote]

Demanding that non-nationals follow our laws doesn't mean we love them any less. Love doesn't mean "do whatever you want".

[Seven77]

[quote name='Era Might' post='1804230' date='Mar 11 2009, 10:33 PM']The first Europeans who came to America generally didn't ask the Indians for permission. Yet people give them a pass.

I believe people should follow the law. But I also believe that illegal immigration is a complex social problem, and should not be dealt with by merciless deportation. How should it be dealt with? That's a complex question, and I don't think there is an easy answer.[/quote]

I heartily agree. Deportation is not a blanket solution.

The way i look at the problem: no use crying over spilled milk. If illegal immigrants, in otherwise good standing, have been in this country for more than 5-10 years and wish to contribute to American society, why can't we come up with some ways for them to make some kind of amends so they can be permitted to become legal citizens? That's called Mercy.

I hope we all understand what Jesus did for us on the Cross.

[Maggyie]

This is such a complex issue and the simplistic solutions just. Won't. Work. Obviously we do not want people to be breaking the law. Breaking the law is wrong.

But the vast majority of these people come to the U.S. and the only law they break is the one that is supposed to keep them from coming. These are decent human beings who want the same things we all want. I know if things were the other way around, and my dad was going to have to raise his family in dire poverty in the U.S. but fifty miles away was a wealthy country where he could get honest work, give us a chance at an education and a decent life we would be living in Mexico now, immigration laws be darned.

And I say this even though in my heart of hearts I am pretty hostile to undocumented immigrants, especially undocumented Latinos. This was revealed to me when I watched a movie on all the undocumented immigrants from Ireland living in New York (there are more illegal Irish immigrants in NYC now than ever before I believe). And these white people really didn't provoke the visceral emotional reaction in me that the "south of the border" kind of illegal immigration does. It was quite an unexpected examination of conscience I am deeply ashamed of this of course and I hope Jesus Christ will heal this sin in me. Meanwhile I have really had to re-think my position which was much more anti-illegal alien. I am intellectually convinced that our bishops have taken EXACTLY the right stand on this issue; they always support the right of sovereign nation to control its borders but at the same time it's OBVIOUS our laws need to change.

We are in a recession right now, true, but ten years ago we were in boom time and we had millions of undocumented workers then and a VERY low "official" unemployment rate. I agree that the current situation allows businesses to exploit undocumented workers. I am totally in favor of the feds coming down like a bag of bricks on all the companies knowingly breaking the law. ICE raids on workers? They rip families apart. And the workers themselves are not the problem. The companies that attract them by looking the other way and hiring them are.

"Mass deportation" is a stance accepted only by the fringe. No public official from any party in any responsible position has ever seriously suggested such a thing. Talk about a humanitarian nightmare (and a practical impossibility BTW).