The basis for reform of any kind is respect for the dignity of the human person. In the case of immigration reform, the dignity of the person calls us to consider the needs of people on both sides of the issue: those in our country and those who feel it necessary to migrate.
Don’t we all seek the same opportunities for ourselves and our children? If we respect the dignity of each person, isn’t it time to pass a comprehensive immigration reform law based on justice for all and not on enforced order which benefits only those who look at their own needs and ignore pertinent facts?
In the case of Hispanics, who are now the focus of our border concerns, shouldn’t we ask: Why have people been willing to risk the terrors of fleeing across a dangerous border, desperate enough to leave their loved ones? (Yes, we acknowledge that some do so for no good reason.) Often, they flee because their governments are corrupt and globalization, wrongly used, has resulted in multinational corporations being allowed to squeeze people out of the job market.
Why are financial and commercial markets free and not bound by borders, but labor markets are not free and subjected to the enforced order of the powerful? Do only the powerful have dignity?
Historically the U.S. government turned a blind eye to illegal immigrants because of a choice to hire cheap labor. Now our country wants to criminalize these people and militarize our borders at an expense we cannot afford and which is leading to suffering for all involved.
Why haven’t employers who failed to check the status of those they hired not been held accountable? Immigrants hired illegally and who have lived here for years should be allowed to stay and maintain their families with reasonable accountabilities.
Quad City Pax Christi USA; Ollie Finn, Bert Finn, Bart Finn, Lois Ann Ferguson, Sr. Ann Newcomer, OSB; Sr. Helen Carey, OSB; Fr. Tom Stratman; Sr. Pat Miller, CHM; Sr. Michelle Schiffgens, CHM; Joan McKorkle, OCD; Roberta Moran; Jim Moran
