Is There a Perfect Immigrant
After facing a long summer of criticism from lawmakers, immigrant rights advocates and law enforcement officials, President Obama has delivered on his promise to focus on deporting the folks he’s called “the worst of the worst,” the country’s “illegal and criminal aliens.” Last week immigration officials announced that they’d rounded up 2,901 immigrants with criminal convictions on their record after a seven-day enforcement spree called Operation Cross Check.
“This is what we should be doing; this is good law enforcement,” Immigration and Customs Enforcement director John Morton said at the press conference, the AP reported. “It makes sense to be removing people who are committing crimes who are here illegally first and foremost.”
More than half of the group had at least one felony on their record, including convictions for manslaughter, kidnapping, armed robbery and sex offenses. Not everyone had been convicted of such violent crimes–nearly 400 people in the group were people who had come back to the country after being deported in the past. ICE has conducted Operation Cross Check in the past but called this run the largest of its kind.
The Obama administration has been sharply criticized for its record-breaking rates of removals, and Obama’s reliance on the deportation of people who had no criminal convictions whatsoever to bolster his numbers. Consider the operation the Obama administration turning to his critics and asking, “Are you happy now?”
After serving among immigrants and refugees for over 15 years as a Franciscan priest, it has occurred to me that migration must not be looked at in isolation but within the political and economic context of a world divided between a minority of wealthy, powerful nations and the majority of poorer nations. Since the majority of the undocumented immigrants are Roman Catholic and a substantial number of legal immigrants are Roman Catholic, the Catholic Church has played a pivotal role as an advocate for the rights of immigrants and refugees.
The Roman Catholic Church respects the immigration laws of the United States, although it does not always agree with some of them. Contrary to popular perception, the Catholic Church does not encourage open borders nor promote undocumented immigration. In fact, there is a Vatican document that states that those who flee economic conditions that threaten their lives and physical safety must be treated differently from those who emigrate simply to improve their position (Pontifical Council, 1992). The Catholic Church is ruled by divine law and abides by the Biblical mandate in Exodus 3:1-20 in which God is revealed as liberator. God sends Moses to free the people from religious, economic, and political oppression.
Historically, the Roman Catholic Church in the United States began as an immigrant church during the 19th and early 20th centuries. During that period, the Church experienced periods of exclusionary reactions to its members characterized by nativism, ethnic and religious chauvinism, and racism. This occurred despite the fact that such reactions contradicted this nation’s commitment to freedom, justice, and equality that are fundamental to the American political community. As a result, the Catholic Church has sustained its immigrant legacy by continuing to reach out to the newly arrived in this current age. Presently, the Roman Catholic Church is the largest single denomination in the United States, with more than 60 million members. Its governing body is the National Catholic Conference of Bishops, its policy arm is the United States Catholic Conference, and its social service agency is led by Catholic Charities. Their headquarters are located in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area.
“This is what we should be doing; this is good law enforcement,” Immigration and Customs Enforcement director John Morton said at the press conference, the AP reported. “It makes sense to be removing people who are committing crimes who are here illegally first and foremost.”
More than half of the group had at least one felony on their record, including convictions for manslaughter, kidnapping, armed robbery and sex offenses. Not everyone had been convicted of such violent crimes–nearly 400 people in the group were people who had come back to the country after being deported in the past. ICE has conducted Operation Cross Check in the past but called this run the largest of its kind.
The Obama administration has been sharply criticized for its record-breaking rates of removals, and Obama’s reliance on the deportation of people who had no criminal convictions whatsoever to bolster his numbers. Consider the operation the Obama administration turning to his critics and asking, “Are you happy now?”
After serving among immigrants and refugees for over 15 years as a Franciscan priest, it has occurred to me that migration must not be looked at in isolation but within the political and economic context of a world divided between a minority of wealthy, powerful nations and the majority of poorer nations. Since the majority of the undocumented immigrants are Roman Catholic and a substantial number of legal immigrants are Roman Catholic, the Catholic Church has played a pivotal role as an advocate for the rights of immigrants and refugees.
The Roman Catholic Church respects the immigration laws of the United States, although it does not always agree with some of them. Contrary to popular perception, the Catholic Church does not encourage open borders nor promote undocumented immigration. In fact, there is a Vatican document that states that those who flee economic conditions that threaten their lives and physical safety must be treated differently from those who emigrate simply to improve their position (Pontifical Council, 1992). The Catholic Church is ruled by divine law and abides by the Biblical mandate in Exodus 3:1-20 in which God is revealed as liberator. God sends Moses to free the people from religious, economic, and political oppression.
Historically, the Roman Catholic Church in the United States began as an immigrant church during the 19th and early 20th centuries. During that period, the Church experienced periods of exclusionary reactions to its members characterized by nativism, ethnic and religious chauvinism, and racism. This occurred despite the fact that such reactions contradicted this nation’s commitment to freedom, justice, and equality that are fundamental to the American political community. As a result, the Catholic Church has sustained its immigrant legacy by continuing to reach out to the newly arrived in this current age. Presently, the Roman Catholic Church is the largest single denomination in the United States, with more than 60 million members. Its governing body is the National Catholic Conference of Bishops, its policy arm is the United States Catholic Conference, and its social service agency is led by Catholic Charities. Their headquarters are located in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area.
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