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Florida Bishops call faithful to action for justice for immigrants
Calling the nation's
immigration system, "profoundly broken," the bishops of the Florida
Catholic Conference unanimously approved a statement this week
calling for comprehensive immigration reform.
Click here to access full statement.
The bishops said that
immigration reform is not just a policy issue but also a moral one,
because "the measure of a just society is how it treats its weakest
and most vulnerable members."
Daily, clergy and church
personnel witness the consequences of the current immigration system
on an estimated 850,000 persons in Florida: "divided families,
exploitative working conditions, and lives vulnerable to fraud,
crime, discrimination and violence."
"Let us be clear - we do not
endorse illegal immigration," the bishops wrote. Yet "American
employers need adequate legal means for hiring manual laborers." The
bishops call on Congress "to reform this broken system to create
avenues for legal immigration, to bring people out of the shadows
and enable them to enjoy fully the freedom and individual rights on
which this country was founded."
The U.S. Senate is
considering a variety of possible reforms, many of which do not
offer immigrants any hope for eventual inclusion in American
society. The bishops consider those inadequate: "We need an earned
legalization provision. We will not resolve the current problem with
proposals that create an indefinite and temporary status, leading to
a permanent second class status."
The pastoral statement calls
on "all Floridians and particularly every Catholic in our state to
become informed about the moral imperative for just and
comprehensive immigration reform. We urge all people of good will to
put aside the myths and misinformation that keep us from hearing our
brother and sister immigrants' cries for justice." They urged people
to inform themselves by accessing the Justice for Immigrants
Campaign website,
www.justiceforimmigrants.org, and to take immediate action by
contacting their U.S. Senators and Representatives. |
