For me, it is axiomatic that every immigrant, no matter from whence s/he hails, or how s/he came to be here, or their reason for coming, is a human being. As such, s/he is made in the image of God. Hence, every human being should be treated with dignity and respect at all times. In 2022, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued Catholic Elements of Immigration Reform. It is worth reading. I hope what I write below is in conformity with these elements.
It seems to me immigration has five distinct, not separate, but distinct facets:
First is the border. I'll be honest, I don't have a big problem with securing the southern border. Seeking to make the border very hard, if not impossible, to cross strikes me as a responsibility of a government faced with mass immigration. Also, once word gets out that crossing the border is a very risky proposition and that you'll likely be caught, detained, and returned to your country of origin, fewer people will put themselves at the mercy of coyotes and other criminal predators in an effort to come to the U.S.
We tend to underestimate the human cost of immigration prior to people reaching our southern border. It is important to treat detained persons with dignity and respect. It is paramount to keep families together. Parents, for the most part, will do a better job than anyone else keeping their children safe.
Recently, some U.S. cities and towns have been stretched to the breaking point trying to accommodate large numbers of immigrants. While this predictably became farcical during last year's presidential election, there are instances that show the truth of this: Denver, Colorado and, yes, Springfield, Ohio. No, I don't think domestic pets were being eaten with reckless abandon in the latter city. But the impact of an exceedingly large number of immigrants there created crisis conditions.
Secondly, what are the countries people are seeking to leave doing to improve conditions and opportunities for their people? After the stand-off and threatened trade war between Colombia (not "Columbia," as the White Press Office wrote it- see "White House Press Release Misspells Colombia, Sparks Row"), the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, is now asking Colombians to leave the U.S., come home, and and "build social wealth in Colombia" (see "Colombia's president calls for migrants to leave jobs in the US and return home").
In a similar vein, during his 2016 visit to Mexico, Pope Francis, urged Mexican leaders to reform their country so as to create conditions for people to flourish. Speaking after a private meeting with Mexico's then-president, Enrique Pena Nieto, the Holy Father said:
Experience teaches us that each time we seek the path of privileges or benefits for a few to the detriment of the good of all, sooner or later the life of society becomes a fertile soil for corruption, drug trade, exclusion of different cultures, violence and also human trafficking, kidnapping and death, bringing suffering and slowing down development (see "Pope gives tough love to Mexico’s political, church elite")The U.S. needs to play a role helping to foster better conditions in the countries people are leaving in droves. Why? Because historically we have contributed to the current political and economic conditions.
Third, there are genuine refugees. These are people who have legally applied for and been granted asylum in the United States. Oddly, it is caring for these people with the help of government grants, that Vice President Vance publicly went after Catholic bishops. Suffice it to say, government grants don't cover the entire cost of refugee services that Catholic community services across the nation provide. To wit: dioceses are not making "bank" off these efforts. Rather, these organizations are paying the difference between the cost of these services and the government grants. Also, Catholic entities are very efficient in doing this. Instead of criticism, praise is in order.
Fourth, I have no problem with ICE rounding up those who are known criminals either or both in their home country and here. Right now, deportation efforts are focused on specific people who are known criminals. Fellow immigrants are the main victims of these individuals and gangs. This is the crux of the effort right now. Throughout the Biden Administration, the U.S. was daily deporting people. This is not to ignore other Biden immigration policies that led to a massive backlash during last year's presidential election. During President Obama's time in office, deportations reached a peak (see "Obama is deporting more immigrants than any president in history: explained").
Finally, the issue I find most vexing and even frightening, as do many people, is the status of people who are already here and who have been here for years, even decades. These are people who work hard seeking to build a life for themselves and their families. Some of their children are citizens. They serve their communities, pay their taxes, and, apart from not having legal status, are law abiding. It seems to me that some allowance, some distinction, some accommodation should be made for these folks.
In a previous attempt at immigration reform during the George W. Bush administation, an idea to levy a fine on undocumented people who have been here for a long time was floated, along with then creating a path to legal status and perhaps, eventually, citizenship (see "Is Bush's plan for illegal immigrants 'practical,' or amnesty?"). This died because certain members of Congress were opposed to anything remotely smacking of what they called "amnesty." Of course, the path to citizenship for people who are here legally needs to be expedited. More resources are needed besides beefing up immigration enforcement.
The very inconsistent, uneven, and highly unpredictable nature of immigration enforcement helps no one and does not the serve the nation well. I think even the current administration, with its perceived mandate to get a grip on immigration, at some point will have to realize the vital role many immigrants play in the U.S. economy. The flip side of this recognition is then dealing with conditions that allow immigrants to be badly exploited.
