Hispanic Ministry
Pastor, St. John in Minden and Holy Family in Heartwell
Right now, many of our Hispanic friends, neighbors, and relatives are afraid. I’m afraid, too. We don’t know if someone we love is going to be deported soon.
Many would love some mercy. Who wouldn’t? But the solutions aren’t as simple as we would like. Justice is not easy. I don’t have a great answer to any of the big questions surrounding immigration. Maybe you do. But before you assume you know everything, consider the following.
First, let’s get fundamental Catholic teachings on the issue clear. Human beings have the right to emigrate, seeking peace and opportunity in other countries. This right has been emphasized by the Church many times, with special attention paid to the obligations of rich countries. At the same time, nations have the right to protect their borders. The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides a nice summary of these two things, right next to each other, in paragraph 2241:
“The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him. Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants’ duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.”
This is where the hard questions start. The enforcement of a border, the “juridical conditions” the Catechism mentions, are worthless unless consequences enforce the law. What kinds of consequences are actually just? Deportation might seem just: the punishment (removal) fits the crime (unauthorized entry). But it’s an incredibly painful option, potentially separating families, condemning people to a life of poverty and chaos, and disruptive to broad communities.
Plus, we, as a nation, seem to be really bad at running the centers where people are held during the process. Sure, we separate people from their families and communities for crimes all the time: it’s called prison. But is this different? It seems so, especially since the bishops recently released their beautiful statement of solidarity. I’ve never met someone who I wanted to deport! But how is it different, exactly? Is deportation just sometimes, unjust at other times? How do we know? Who decides? What alternatives are there? And that doesn’t even begin to touch the other questions on enforcement, the ones about how borders are actually supposed to work.
Then what? We welcome a lot of legal immigrants to this nation. But the process is difficult, and the demand is high. Should that count as an excuse for people who are not here legally? Do we really “welcome the foreigner” “to the extent we are able,” as the Catechism describes? How many should we welcome? What should the legal process look like? And how do we keep all immigrants, legal and illegal, from being taken advantage of by unscrupulous actors?
That’s a lot of questions that I don’t have answers to! But two things give me great comfort. None of these things makes a big difference to how I treat people as a priest. You need mercy, sacraments, masses, prayers, information, counseling, letters? This barely even comes up. None of these things make a big difference to who you are in the eyes of God. Before Him, we’re all sinners in need of saving, even us without all the answers.
What can you do? We can fast and pray, that justice will be done. We can give to organizations that lend material help to those who are “stuck” in the process. Regardless of their legal status, whether they are waiting on the border or in detention, these people have very real, human, needs that are not going away.
We can be slow to condemn. Someone who disagrees with us about immigration is probably not racist, probably not careless about security, probably not a promoter of crime, chaos, or concentration camps. They might even agree with every word of what the Catechism has to say about immigration and borders! Rather, on this complicated, interlocking set of issues, perhaps they just see, and prioritize, different things than you do.
