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Bishop Burbidge's Press Statement on Immigration Reform
Press Statement on Proposed Immigration Reform
By Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge
Bishop of Raleigh
May 21, 2007
I am grateful for the opportunity to address the public on an issue that has generated much commentary in our country: immigration reform. I address the public today in my capacity as the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh. I hold this press conference as the Senate begins deliberation today on what I hope will lead to passage of a fair and comprehensive immigration reform bill. The time for our congressional leaders to act is NOW. We can put this off no longer! And with me today are my brothers and sisters, the faces of immigration. They come from all continents and are a tremendous blessing to our State and our Church.
The Catholic Bishops of the United States have become increasingly concerned about the plight of immigrants in our country and the present status of immigration law. This concern has grown so much that we have decided to pursue a course of action that will contribute, we hope, to comprehensive immigration reform in 2007.
As Catholic Bishops we consistently encourage Catholics to be a voice in the public arena on behalf of the least and the vulnerable. To that end, Catholics must know what their Church teaches so they may engage others in an informed manner and participate in the political process as faithful citizens. Thus, the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh will continue to use every means possible to educate our faithful. For example, this past weekend we began a series of three bulletin inserts that provide information on Church teachings regarding the immigration issue.
Immigration reform engenders much passion among the citizens of the United Sates. There are no simple solutions to this issue, but it is clear to the U. S. Bishops that our present system is not working and we must find a way to reform it so that we may respond realistically to the labor demands of our nation, support the right of people to immigrate, and protect the human dignity of very person. We also need to do this in a way that does not condone unlawful entry or circumvent our laws.
The Catholic Bishops of the United States have implemented a campaign to inform Catholics and the general public about the reasons why the time for immigration reform has arrived and the principles that should guide us as we seek a just resolution to this issue.
The two speakers who will follow me will discuss some of the facts as well as the common misunderstandings that exist around immigration and the current situation in our country and in North Carolina. I would like to focus my comments on five principles the Catholic Church believes must be incorporated into any genuine effort to reform our immigration laws.
Five Principles:
These principles are based on Scripture and Tradition.
The Bible clearly demonstrates that refugees, migrants, and immigrants are special in the eyes of God. Jesus himself was a refugee as a child and an itinerant during his public ministry. He taught us to welcome the stranger (Matthew 25:35) and to realize that in welcoming the stranger we are welcoming Christ himself. The five principles that I am about to outline assist us in fulfilling that call.
The first is: People have a human right to work and support their families in dignity and safety in their homeland. Work that provides a just, living wage is a basic human need.
This fundamental human right leads to the second principle. Sadly, people are unable to find work and support themselves and their families in their homeland. Global poverty and political unrest force peoples to leave their homeland out of necessity. The Catholic Church believes people in these situations have a right to migrate to other countries to work and support their families since they are unable to do so in their homeland. The history of the United States is filled with example after example of immigrants coming to American shores for these reasons.
The third principle is perhaps the most challenging in our present situation. This principle has two parts. First, we believe that a nation has the right to protect and control its borders. To this end, any immigration reform cannot condone unlawful entry or circumvent our immigration laws. This third principle also states that nations, especially economically powerful nations like the United States, have a higher obligation to provide legal avenues for people to enter our nation legally in a safe, orderly and dignified manner to obtain jobs and keep their families together. It is this higher obligation that some Americans will find challenging. Yet, we believe we will be held to a higher obligation before the throne of God regarding how we have shared our abundance with those less fortunate than ourselves.
I am aware of people who have fled their homelands for fear of death or harm. Frequently, these people come from countries where religious persecution or political unrest makes it imperative that they leave their homeland. We believe our present laws must be reformed to make it less burdensome for such individuals to come to the land of the free so they can live without fear of being killed, imprisoned or persecuted. This is our fourth principle.
Finally, the Catholic Bishops believe that all people, including undocumented migrants, have a right to basic human dignity and should not be treated in an inhumane way by anyone, be it an employer, law enforcement officials, border control personnel, or citizens in general.
These five principles govern the efforts of the Catholic Bishops in the United States as we enter into dialogue with Catholics, government officials, and the general public regarding immigration reform.
We believe these five principles, based in the biblical tradition and the teachings of the Catholic Church, are reasonable. We respectfully propose them to the public as guiding principles in our ongoing discussions and decisions regarding immigration reform.
Regarding the proposed Senate bill, I repeat that the time to act is now. The Catholic Bishops of the United States believe a truly good and workable immigration reform must include the following:
- a path to citizenship for undocumented people that is earned, workable, fair, and achievable.
- a guest worker program that is legal, protects workers, and allows them the option to become a citizen in the future
- a family-based reform that reduces the backlogs and waiting times for family reunification
- a restoration of due process for undocumented people
- policies that address the root causes of migration from developing and poor countries
The Senate immigration proposal meets some of these criteria but not all of them. Most encouraging is the proposal to create an earned path to citizenship for undocumented workers presently in the country.
Other aspects of the present proposal are of concern to us, namely:
- family immigration, a great concern for us and all who believe in the importance of family, appears to be eliminated in this proposal
- a guest worker program that would never permit them to become citizens and that leaves them with few rights
- limited due process rights for immigrants
While I would hope that all these issues will be favorably resolved as this proposal works its way through the legislative process, my highest priority would be for reforms that include family immigration. The family is the basic social unit of our society and our Church and has been since the creation of the human family. To eliminate this as a component of immigration reform is simply unthinkable.
While I recognize that this issue surfaces many emotions, I call on all people of goodwill to continue this debate in the spirit of mutual respect ever mindful that together we must work for peace and protect the dignity of each and every person. May God bless and guide us in our endeavors.