Re-visiting Jesse's thoughts on Legal vs Illegal Immigration
My Thoughts on Legal vs. Illegal Immigration
“On some positions, cowardice asks the question, is it expedient? And expedience comes along and asks the question, is it political? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? Conscience asks the questions, is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor polite, nor popular – but one must take it because it is right,” said Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
What I am about to say is neither safe, nor polite, nor popular, but what I believe is right as a practicing Catholic Christian. There is a Catholic principle in moral theology which teaches that: “We can never do evil to bring about Good.” St Paul clearly teaches this principle in Romans 3:8 and in the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 1753: “A good intention (for example, that of helping one’s neighbor) does not make behavior that is intrinsically sinful and evil, such as lying and calumny, good or just. The end does not justify the means. Thus the condemnation of an innocent person cannot be justified as a legitimate means of saving the nation. On the other hand, an added bad intention (such as vainglory or pride) makes an act evil that, in and of itself, can be good (such as almsgiving).”
Let me apply St Paul’s principle to the issue of ‘illegal Immigration.’
You cannot do evil - i.e. break the immigration law and cross the border.’
In order to bring about good - leave your wife & kids for a foreign country to work and make money to send it back home.
What is not mentioned is that a Latino who leaves his country of origin will now leave their kids fatherless, and the wife without the physical presence and protection of her husband. This Latino male will now enter the United States by himself, replete with every temptation under the sun to the 10th power. Let’s be realistic, after an illegal immigrant in this country pays his rent, utilities, groceries, postage, vehicle, gas etc., how much money does he actually send his family in South America? Isn’t it better to remain physically present with your family and grind it out together in your country of origin? The Family that prays together stays together. Yes, families need money to survive, but what’s more important is to have their father and husband physically present with them to teach them virtue, even in conditions of poverty. A man’s vocation is to lead protect and provide for his family spiritually and physically. Bigamy is a huge problem in the Latino community amongst illegal immigrants, having a family in the U.S. and a family in South America is common. Just ask any Catholic Priest who hears confessions and ministers in a Latino Parish. It’s the pink elephant in the living room that nobody wants to talk about.
The two main categories in this debate are legal immigrants and illegal immigrants. Those that believe in the Rule of Law and lawbreakers. The government has a moral and legal obligation to protect the due process rights of the people who immigrate here legally, and, on the flip side, they have the right to prevent immigration from those who cross our borders illegally. This is not “anti-immigration,” in fact it’s very Pro - Immigration. It is not Catholic or Christian to advocate for irresponsible immigration. Immigration to be of any help to immigrants and the host country, requires order, knowledge and balance. There are many honest people from different countries (Mexico included) that are trying to follow the rules and immigrate to this country legally, but their application is kept from ever being processed because the current census does not allow for more applications to be processed. Why? Because were being overrun by illegal immigrants mainly from the southwest. Our schools, jails, welfare, hospitals, labor jobs are being pushed to the limit, in large part because of this influx of illegal immigrants. “The cost of providing social, medical, law enforcement and educational services to illegal aliens from every level of government is estimated at an astounding $113 billion per year.” 83
We are a generous country, by far the most generous in the world. During a Fox News interview on June 18, 2012, Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., discussed immigration and said that “a million people a year come into the U.S. legally. No other country even comes close to that figure."84
I know that some people get offended when they hear the word “alien.” However, the word “alien” is used in the Holy Bible as a descriptive word for a “stranger” or someone from another family or clan. The Mexican Constitution also uses the word “alien” for non - Mexican citizens.
I am Mexican American, my parents are from Mexico, and the majority of my family is from Mexico or lives in Mexico. I am a retired L.A. Deputy Sheriff, my wife is a retired L.A. County nurse, and we have seen this abuse firsthand. We (Mexicans) have a difficult time accepting this truth simply because we see this in terms of skin color and race instead of objectively. Our race becomes the apex of victimhood and our brown skin becomes our truth, even above our Christianity. Most Latinos believe that the immigration issue is racially motivated because this is the constant narrative they hear from the liberal Hispanic mainstream media and the English (liberal) mainstream media. The Democrat Party benefits from Illegal Immigration because they pander to them by promising entitlements, thereby gaining their support. That is why a Spanish radio Talk show host Eddie “Piollin” Sotelo was able to marshal 1 million Hispanics to protest in the streets of Los Angeles over an immigration bill in California in 2006. I have no doubt that many of the protesters were illegal. By the way, Mexico’s Constitution strictly forbids non - citizens from protesting against the Mexican government.
“Foreigners may not in any way participate in the political affairs of the country” (Article 33). “Only citizens of the Republic may do so to take part in the political affairs of the country” (Article 9).
The Mexican constitution expressly forbids non - citizens from participating in the country’s political life. Non-citizens are forbidden to participate in demonstrations or express opinions in public about domestic politics.