At the opening of his April 1 Religious Education Congress presentation, San Bernardino Bishop Gerald Barnes described himself as a "recovering racist and recovering sexist."

In a statement meant to place himself at the same place as many in the audience of over 900 attending his workshop, Bishop Barnes emphasized that nearly everyone needs ongoing education and change of heart, especially on the issue of immigration, which is tearing apart the fabric of lives in the United States and other countries.

In his talk, Bishop Barnes emphasized repeatedly that the bishops do not advocate illegal immigration. But they do favor just treatment for those who are presently in the United States and those who are refugees or have been caught in a situation where they cannot live in their home countries.

As chair of the Committee on Migration for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Barnes expressed the concerns not only of the bishops, but that of other Catholic leaders as "mass movements and mass migrations are experienced around the globe." The global problems from such movements include trafficking of women and children; separation and dissolution of family units; sex slavery; and extreme poverty and human degradation. Nor, he said, is the immigration problem unique to the United States.

But in the U.S., he said, the topic of immigration has flared like no other and ignited anger and resentment. For Bishop Barnes personally, "it is not easy" to receive letters filled with four-letter words and signed, "respectfully yours," but he also realizes that these reactions indicate a great need for education.

He said those attending his April 1 talk fell into three groups: the two extremes (one in favor of assisting those who come to this country legally or illegally, the other flatly opposed to such assistance) and then the vast majority in the middle "who only want to understand the problem."

Last year the USCCB Committee on Migration helped 30,000 refugees become resettled for religious reasons. The refugees included cruise ship workers, sex slaves and sex trade workers, many of whom were abused as they traveled in or through another country seeking asylum.

Bishop Barnes was assisted in his presentation by Mark Franklin from the Committee on Migration staff, who emphasized that Catholic social teaching:
---calls for just treatment of laborers;
---guarantees an individual's right to migrate, and refugees' right to expect protection;
---establishes nations' right and responsibility to control their borders;
---places responsibility to welcome those in need on more economically stable countries;
---and demands that human rights and human dignity be respected.

The church in the United States, whose members live in the world's most affluent society, has some special responsibilities, he added.

"We are a church of immigrants," Franklin emphasized, citing historical trends showing that the Catholic population nearly tripled beginning in the late 19th century and in successive waves. The services provided today by the church, i.e. hospitals, schools, and Catholic social services, were originally developed to take care of those immigrant groups.

Legal visa availability, though, has not changed in years, said Franklin, citing a 20-year backlog of family visa applications. It is estimated that 450,000 undocumented immigrants are working in service industry jobs. Statistics show the following: 92 percent of undocumented men are working in 5 percent of the U.S. workforce. Contrary to the belief of many, only 3 percent of undocumented are working in agriculture, and 97 percent are in repair, installation, maintenance-related jobs.

The USCCB has noted that labor demands in the United States exceed legal means. The bishops also have lamented that the border between the U.S. and Mexico has turned into the most violent border between two peaceful countries in the world: approximately 3,000 have died at the border since 1995.

The bishops have advocated an expansion of opportunities for family reunification, additional protection for all immigrants (legal or not), development of an earned legalization program for the undocumented currently here, a targeted and humane enforcement of laws, and a vigorous effort to address the root causes of migration.