The most controversial topic since Trump came back into office has been immigration. Over the last four years, the wide-open southern border has allowed millions to cross into the country, many with little or no vetting. Jesus teaches us to welcome the stranger and care for our brothers and sisters no matter who they are or their legal status, but is there or should there be a limit? Let’s take a look.
The Catholic Church and Immigration
The United States is the most generous country in the world because we have more than other countries. Paul tells us in Hebrews 13:16:
“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have; God is pleased by sacrifices of that kind.”
Jesus tells us in Luke 3:11:
He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.”
Jesus’s teaching is clear: welcome strangers and take care of them.
The US Immigration System
The legal immigration system in the US has been badly broken for many years. Applicants will sometimes wait up to 10 years to become citizens. The current immigration laws are complex and make it difficult for families to stay together. Congress has done nothing to fix the broken system. Biden came into office in 2020, and instead of focusing on fixing legal immigration, he immediately opened the border. Depending upon your news source, there could be anywhere from 8- 20MM people who entered the country illegally. Illegal migrants were incentivized to come into the country by the US and state governments. These incentives created dangerous situations as caravans of illegal migrants traveled to the United States.
In many cases, these migrants became victims of violent crimes along the way. President Biden opened the borders to bring in as many people as possible. The plan was to grant them amnesty and add them on the voter rolls as Democrats. Many people suffered as a result.
The Moral Challenge
The mass migration created a moral challenge for Catholics. We want to follow Jesus’ teaching, but the government was already ignoring the serious homeless crisis within the country, and citizens saw gang activity and crime rise across the country. The mass migration further divided an already divided country.
The Three Principles of Catholic Social Teaching Related to Immigration
- People have the right to migrate to sustain their lives and the lives of their families: “Every person has an equal right to receive from the earth what is necessary for life—food, clothing, shelter. Moreover, every person has the right to education, medical care, religion, and the expression of one’s culture. In many places people live in fear, danger, or dehumanizing poverty. Clearly, it is not God’s will that some of his children live in luxury while others have nothing. In Luke’s Gospel, the rich man was condemned for living well while the poor man starved at his doorstep (Lk 16:19-31).”
- A country has the right to regulate its borders and control immigration: “While individuals have the right to move in search of a safe and humane life, no country is bound to accept all those who wish to resettle there. By this principle, the Church recognizes that most immigration is ultimately not something to celebrate. Ordinarily, people do not leave the security of their own land and culture just to seek adventure in a new place or merely to enhance their standard of living. Instead, they migrate because they are desperate and the opportunity for a safe and secure life does not exist in their own land.”
- A country must regulate its borders with justice and mercy: “A country’s regulation of borders and control of immigration must be governed by concern for all people and by mercy and justice. A nation may not simply decide that it wants to provide for its own people and no others. A sincere commitment to the needs of all must prevail.”
Conclusion
By opening the border and incentivizing people to come to the US, the Biden administration put Americans and many of the migrants at risk for their own political purposes. There was no “balance.” The current administration has promised “mass migrations” to send many of the migrants back to their home countries. The pendulum has swung completely in the opposite direction. The current focus on deportation is on violent criminals – either those with criminal records in their home countries or those that have committed crimes while in the US. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must fix the legal immigration process as a priority. DHS must eliminate the porous areas of our border and begin the process of determining who will be shepherded into the legal process.
Please let me know what you think about this article in the comments section. All comments are welcome.
Peace
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