Talking faith and immigration
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- September
- 19
WASHINGTON—I’m a little slow getting going here at the Religion Newswriters Association’s annual gathering. I was late getting to D.C. (traffic, getting lost). And I’ve had some technical issues this morning…
But I’m here with a few hundred other religion journalists.
We’ve just heard a really interesting, somewhat heated, presentation on the Great Immigration Debate.
J. Kevin Appleby, the immigration point man for the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference (and one of the major religious voices on the issue), laid out the main reasons for Catholic support for immigration reform: Jesus said “I was a stranger and you welcomed me;” the Catholic Church is an immigrant church; it’s a humanitarian issue; it’s a global issue, not just a U.S. issue; and “there is suffering going on that we see every day.”
His opponent was Roy Beck, a former United Methodist communications guy who is founder/CEO of NumbersUSA, a group that contends that illegal immigrants take away jobs from Americans, drive down wages and hurt the economy.
“We agree with the idea that everybody who happens to show up in a church is a person in the eyes of God,” Beck said. “Once you’ve said that, where do you go with it?”
Beck compared illegal immigrants to shoplifters, saying they are not violent, may be hurting economically, and believe they are only taking from big, rich corporations. “But shoplifting adds up to a lot,” he said. “All consumers share the cost.”
Beck wants serious verification at workplaces of worker status.
Appleby said that the U.S. has spent $33 billion on border enforcement since 1994. “We have a disfunctional system that has a sign at the border that says ‘Keep out’ and has a sign at the workplace the says ‘Help wanted.’ ”
The U.S. Catholic bishops want to see legalization for the 12 million illegal immigrants now here. Appleby said they should pay fines and back taxes and have to work for years before becoming eligible for green cards.
There was some talk about the rhetoric out there on the immigration issues—what’s racist and what’s not. Beck said that his group opposes immigrant bashing and said that it’s hard to be in the same camp with people like David Duke.
Everyone did agree that the presidential candidates are avoiding the immigration issue at all costs (except in Spanish language ads, where each blames the other guy). Appleby noted that the Hispanic community could play a role in deciding which way certain states go…
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on Friday, September 19th, 2008 at 9:44 am by Gary Stern.
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The world of religion, we don't have to tell you, is vast. The purpose of this blog is for Stern to note, flag and comment on some of the more interesting religious developments on the scene – weighty and quirky, somber and laughable, far away and just down the road. He won't interpret Scripture, take sides in conflicts or judge anyone. But he will take advantage of the journalist's license to observe.
