Calling the immigration issue "primarily a humanitarian one," Cardinal Roger Mahony this week encouraged University of Notre Dame students attending a national forum on immigration to support comprehensive reform that acknowledges basic principles of humanitarian treatment.
"An approach to the immigration debate informed by the riches of the Catholic tradition respects the human dignity of our fellow human beings, does not scapegoat them for our social problems, and does not pit one community against another," said Cardinal Mahony Oct. 8 at the third annual University of Notre Dame Forum in Indiana.
Joining the cardinal as featured presenters at the two-hour forum, titled "Immigration: A Notre Dame Forum," were U.S. Sen. Melquiades Rafael "Mel" Martinez (R-Fla.), Republican Mayor Louis J. Barletta of Hazelton, Pa., and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano. Attended by some 3,000 students, faculty, staff and others at the university's Joyce Center, the forum was moderated by Ray Suarez, senior correspondent for The Newshour with Jim Lehrer.
Because immigration impacts on the well-being of millions of people, "it has moral implications and must be viewed through a moral lens," said Cardinal Mahony in his presentation. The nation's "enforcement-only" approach to immigration, he said, is "an approach which has failed and led to more human suffering.
"Since 1993, when our nation commenced a series of border blockade initiatives, we have spent close to $30 billion on enforcement, tripled the number of Border Patrol agents, and added 80 miles of fencing and barriers to our border. During the same period, the number of undocumented persons has more than doubled."
As a result of this "outmoded" system, he said, migrants, desperate to survive and support their families, are compelled to enter the country illegally and, because of their undocumented status, become subject to abuse and exploitation. More than 3,000 migrants have died in the American desert since 1996.
"Now," the cardinal said, "with comprehensive immigration reform having failed in Congress, we see enforcement raids that separate children from their parents and strike fear in immigrant communities."
The Catholic Church, he said, favors a global solution that addresses the root causes of migration, analyzes how U.S. economic and trade policies impact economic flight, and considers how living wage employment can be generated in "sending communities."
"Migrants, on the whole, would prefer to remain in their home communities to support themselves and their families," said Cardinal Mahony. "Migration should be driven by choice, not necessity."
He urged Congress to "show courage and leadership" in addressing the issue. "The central feature of this effort should be to bring the 12 million undocumented immigrants out of the shadows and offer them legal status," he said. "In return, these immigrants must learn English, pay a fine, and work for several years before earning the right to receive permanent legal status. Also included in this package is a new visa worker program, to allow more migrant workers to enter legally, and updates to our family-based immigration system."
Does such a plan equal amnesty? Cardinal Mahony noted that, according to Webster's Dictionary, amnesty means "an act of forgiving, a general pardon of the offenses of subjects against the government."
"By requiring at least six or more years of work, the payment of fees and a fine, as well as English proficiency, we are not forgiving or providing a general pardon. We are exacting a penalty for an offense. The principle of the 'rule of law,' upon which our democracy is built, is maintained because the offenders pay a penalty and remain accountable to the law."
In considering the penalty for unlawful migration, we also must consider whether the law that has been broken is itself a just one, he added.
"In the history of the United States, we have enacted and implemented several unjust laws, including laws that have discriminated against certain types of persons based on race, gender and national origin," noted the cardinal. "I would argue that our current immigration laws are unjust as well: we employ and accept the labor and taxes of the undocumented yet deny them the protection of the law. As a matter of moral principle, we cannot have it both ways."
Cardinal Mahony said the U.S. bishops do not support "open borders." In fact, "it is our belief that a comprehensive approach will best help us secure our nation," by bringing the undocumented population out of the shadows in offering them legal status, requiring them to identify themselves to the government.
Additionally, such an approach will create legal avenues for migrants to enter "in a safe and orderly manner, so that we know who is entering our country and for what purpose."
"All too often we hear and see, on cable television, talk radio, and on our streets, voices of fear and dissension that dehumanize immigrants," he said. "The faith community, in particular, must speak out against these divisive voices with the strong message that immigrants who come to this nation are equal in God's eyes, work hard, share American values, and love and worship God as we do."
Cardinal Mahony challenged students to speak up on the issue and confront those who use the immigration issue to divide neighbor against neighbor. He urged them to become familiar with the proposed Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act), sponsored by Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois, scheduled to be considered prior to Thanksgiving. The DREAM Act, the cardinal said, permits young persons who are foreign-born, without legal status, and have lived in the United States at least five years an opportunity to adjust their status and eventually become citizens.
"This is not an amnesty, because the young persons who would qualify came to this country with their parents at a younger age and are without legal status through no fault of their own," the cardinal said. "What the DREAM Act does is give these students a future in our country, a chance to become American citizens and fully contribute to our nation."
Cardinal Mahony concluded by encouraging students "to work to preserve America's position as a leader and moral force in the world by keeping it as a beacon of hope and freedom to our fellow human beings around the globe."
In his opening remarks, Sen. Martinez, who emigrated from Cuba at age 15 and is the first Cuban-American to serve in the U.S. Senate, emphasized the fact that he is the only immigrant in the Senate and that he recognizes a crisis in confidence in the U.S. government.
"We must have national conversations to enact comprehensive legislation as a nation harkening our history as a nation of immigrants and as a nation of laws," he said. "A comprehensive approach at the federal level is what is needed."
Gov. Napolitano addressed the realities of immigrants crossing the border between her state and Mexico on a daily basis. "We need better documentation and better border security. But those who say that we can simply build a wall to handle immigrants have never been to the border. You show me a 15-foot wall, and I'll show you a 16-foot ladder."
Many students and faculty who attended the forum prepared for it by taking an on-line "course" on the various facets of immigration, including a reading list, as well as selected articles on the economics of immigration, Catholic social teaching on immigration, and the current immigration debate in the U.S. Contributing to this article was Shannon Chapla of the University of Notre Dame. The complete text of Cardinal Mahony's talk may be seen at www.the-tidings.com. |