Head: Understanding the need for immigration reform

 

Subhead: This is the first in a three-part series regarding the plight of the undocumented immigrant and the need for immigration reform

 

BY MARY ST. PIERRE

of the Florida Catholic staff

ORLANDO — If your child was at risk of being killed, raped repeatedly, sold into slavery or starving to death, what measures would you take to save your precious loved one? These are the real-life situations of undocumented immigrants. 

For many Catholics, immigration reform strikes conversations as volatile as discussions on religion and political hammerings between Republicans and Democrats. Hands come slamming fist to palm and shouts of “illegal immigrants must be deported” is the stand of many.

The bishops of Florida have expressed their support for a sovereign nation to control its borders, but ask that it be done in a manner that preserves basic human rights. Humanitarian concerns have been expressed by the bishops recognizing our immigration system is broken and in need of repair. And the solution needs to be a sustaining one that fairly fits our times, just like Ellis Island provided in the late 1800s.

“By repairing the system comprehensively and providing legal means for entry, the nation would replace illegality with legality so that individuals and families could migrate and work in a safe and controlled manner,” the Florida bishops have stated. “This would not only protect the rights of the migrant, but also help ensure national security, as law enforcement would be able to focus on those who come to our country to harm us.”

Collectively, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has consistently advocated for “a path to citizenship” for those who have been here for many years without being able to secure proper identification documents. They have proposed such immigrants pay a fine, undergo a comprehensive criminal background check, provide proof they have paid taxes and are learning English, and the requirement standards would then allow them a path to obtain a visa and then permanent residency.

During a recent conference co-sponsored by The Catholic University of America and the USCCB, Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington, expressed that migrants around the world struggle to find welcome, therefore a process of education of all Catholics regarding the teachings of our faith is a universal necessity.

“Jesus was an itinerant preacher,” said Cardinal McCarrick. “He had nowhere to lay his head. There are many like that in our world today.”

In today’s society, “you may not recognize Jesus at first” in a stranger, “but he is there.”

During the conference, Cardinal McCarrick shared a story about recently meeting a family of Iraqi Christians who were refugees in Jordan. While in Iraq, the husband of the family had been waiting for Mass to start at a Syrian Catholic Church in Baghdad, when he heard explosions outside. He decided to leave, and later learned 58 people, including two

 

After his life was threatened, he and his wife decided to leave Iraq, telling their two sons “If we stay, we can’t talk to Jesus any more,” meaning they couldn’t go to church. His 6-year-old responded, “We can’t stay without Jesus.”

On the Florida home front, D. Michael McCarron, executive director of the Florida Catholic Conference (FCC) and Sheila Hopkins, FCC associate director for social concerns/respect life, are very familiar with the plight of undocumented migrants and the need for legislative changes that create a fair solution.

Last week, McCarron sent a letter to Rep. Dean Cannon, speaker of the House, urging legislators to vote no on HB 7089 and allow Congress to address our broken immigration system. HB 7089 requires all private and public employers to use the E-Verify system to check the immigration status of new hires. It also allows arrest without a warrant by an officer who believes a person is unlawfully present in the United States. This bill has passed its committees of reference and now can be taken up by the full House. He also provided the bishops of Florida’s statement on immigration and an informational brief, “Why Don’t They Come Here Legally?” (complete text available at http://tinyurl.com/fc-fcc-immig) which explains that the majority of people who are here without documents have no avenue for lawful entry.

“While we do not advocate for undocumented immigration into the United States, we urge the legislature to resist adopting any policies that would threaten those who provide for our economy and a living for their families,” stated McCarron. “Such laws, even if they only give the impression of profiling people, would ultimately hurt our economy, decrease public safety and discourage reporting of crime.”

Instead of passing a state law likely to be challenged, McCarron encouraged House members to send a resolution from the Florida House of Representatives to our federal delegation, urging them to take up and lead the fight for comprehensive immigration reform in Congress.

According to a recent report published by the Perryman Group, an economic and financial analysis firm, if undocumented persons were deported from Florida, the state would lose activities that contribute $43 billion to the economy, along with 262,436 jobs. These are not jobs documented citizens choose to take as they have been openly marketed to all groups in every region of the state.

“Nobody wants these manual labor jobs picking tomatoes, oranges, etc.,” said Hopkins. “You have willing labor. They just want to be free to work and free from racial profiling and want to be legal.”

To those who say undocumented workers are taking work from other Florida residents, Hopkins references the United Farmworkers’ “Take My Job Campaign” in California. With 30,000 jobs advertised in the agriculture industry, 8,600 people expressed interest but only seven actually began work in the fields.

In February, Hopkins presented testimony at a Senate hearing on immigration. One question she was asked that is often brought up is “Why don’t undocumented people just stand in line? “Because, she stated, “for the large majority, no line exists.”

Lawful immigration is restricted to a few narrow categories of persons. Most current unauthorized immigrants living here are ineligible for a “green card” as a lawful permanent resident because they do not have family relationships required for entry; they do not qualify as “asylees” because of economic hardship as this is only for those fleeing persecution; and the majority of the unauthorized do not hold advanced degrees working in high-skilled occupations that would qualify them for work-sponsored entry. Plus, 5,000 green cards are available for low-wage earners to enter the U.S. lawfully. The only other alternative is H-2A visas, which are capped at 66,000 annually and allow temporary status for one year.

“Particularly troubling are youths brought here by their parents when they were 1 or 2 years old,” said Hopkins. “They have excelled in school, even earned a college education but cannot get a job because they are undocumented. Their only choices are marrying a U.S. citizen, or if they are a victim of a crime, they can get a visa.”

What then is the ideal situation when it comes to immigration reform? According to Hopkins, the ideal would be comprehensive immigration reform on the federal level. But year after year it seems to take root only to be pulled up because Republicans control the House and Democrats dominate the Senate. Finding common ground for a humane solution is difficult.

Approximately 12 million immigrants in our nation live in state of constant fear of deportation and separation from family, Hopkins reported. In 2010, on the federal level, Sen. Robert Menendes (D-N.J.) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) introduced comprehensive immigration reform legislation in the U.S. Senate. The bill did not pass. Couple with that, the DREAM act was introduced. The bill was focused toward the young-adult generation hoping to go to college and/or serve in the military. Even though a majority of the U.S. Senate voted in favor, a minority of senators tried to veto the bill. Both were defeated.

The bishops of Florida have consistently stressed their commitment to comprehensive immigration reform that strengthens our borders and provides fair and humane treatment of undocumented immigrants, fully respecting the dignity of all human persons and the right to work to meet the basic needs of their families.

Immigration is a federal issue and there must be a federal solution rather than the attempts to craft varying proposals in several states including Florida.

“We call upon our federal delegation to lead the fight for comprehensive immigration reform in Congress,” the Florida bishops express in their Statement on Immigration. “We call upon the Florida legislature to resist efforts to demonize those who provide the labor for our economy and a living for their families. Our Catholic social teaching and the tradition of the Church affirm the dignity of every human being, made in the image of God.”

ENDNOTE: In the May 20 issue, the Florida Catholic looks at the face and many challenges of the undocumented immigrant.