This crackled over the wire a short time ago:
Rhode Island's Roman Catholic bishop is calling on U.S. authorities to halt mass immigration raids and says agents who refuse to participate in such raids on moral grounds deserve to be treated as conscientious objectors.Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin asked for a blanket moratorium on immigration raids in Rhode Island until the nation adopts comprehensive immigration reform. Tobin made the requests in a letter sent Tuesday to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Boston.
The letter was released Thursday to The Associated Press.
Tobin's action comes during a heated debate over illegal immigration in heavily Catholic Rhode Island. Authorities recently raided six courthouses looking for illegal immigrant maintenance workers and Gov. Don Carcieri, himself a Catholic, signed an order requiring state police and prison officials to identify illegal immigrants for possible deportation.
"We believe that raids on the immigrant community are unjust, unnecessary, and counterproductive," the bishop's letter says. It urges individual federal agents to consider the morality of their actions and refuse to participate if their conscience dictates.
In such cases, he said, "we urge the Federal Government to fully respect the well-founded principles of conscientious objection."
ICE spokeswoman Paula Grenier said the agency would not comment on Tobin's requests. She did not know if any ICE agents have asked to be excused from participating in raids on moral grounds.
"As an agency, ICE is responsible for enforcing the immigration and customs laws enacted by Congress," she said. "That's our job. We're fulfilling that mandate."
Roman Catholic and other religious leaders have repeatedly criticized immigration raids that target migrant workers, rather than illegal immigrants who commit crimes.
Tobin's request is unusual because it suggests the raids are forcing immigration agents to choose between their jobs and their religious faith.
Tobin is bishop of the Diocese of Providence, which covers the entire state. Some 60 percent of Rhode Island residents call themselves Roman Catholic, a higher percentage than any other state.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has called U.S. immigration policies "morally unacceptable," saying they keep families divided and encourage the exploitation of migrants.
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4 comments:
I'm against illegal immigration, but that being said I'm even more against the fact that people who want to come into this country to work are not able to. I'd like to see reforms that will allow for more people to be admitted to our country from Mexico and other countries to our south. Also, if someone has been here illegally but have shown themselves to be productive members of our nation for a number of years, we should have a program that will allow them to stay... Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness shouldn't be limited to those with the benefit of geography, but extended to the whole world.
What this reminds me of is the "nuclear freeze" movement in the mid-1980s. It seems to be the one issue that the Catholic bishops believe the they may get some traction on with the general public and with what they see as the changing demographics of this country.
However, I believe that in the long run this too shall pass as one of the hot issues for the USCCB, like the nuclear freeze movement. Why? Because they have given up so much of their moral standing long ago, that an issue like this will not resonate with most people, with the exception of those who profit from this -- the illegal alien lawyers, advocacy groups, etc.
I have mixed feelings regarding this issue.
I agree with an earlier poster here. We need to reform our immigration policy.
I'm in favor of supporting an immigration policy where foreign nationals may come to this country IF they are able to secure a job. They should be required to secure a job BEFORE they are allowed entry. This makes more sense to me. Why not let them immigrate legally in such a case?
Conversely, if they come here and look to take advantage of the 'system', I'm not so sympathetic.
This is an incredibly complex issue. I do not pretend to have ANY answers, but I won't let that stop me from asking a few questions.
I'm curious what is meant by "taking advantage of the system." It is my understanding that most illegal imigrants are afraid to get anywhere near "the system" for fear of being deported.
Why should someone born in the US have greater access to help and benefits than someone who happens to be born somewhere else? How does birth location justify unequal treatment?
If the only basis for immigration is securing a job, what happens if your employer starts offering your job to a foreigner who is willing to work for significantly less?
What happens to all the industries that rely on exploitation of illegal immigrants if they now become legal and start demanding minimum wage or even a fair wage.
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