AMERICA/UNITED STATES - Chairman of US Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration urges Mexico and US to work together to “ensure that policies are adopted that permit migrants to migrate and work in a safe and controlled manner.”

Washington (Agenzia Fides) – Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City, Utah, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration, urged President-elect Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon to work together to protect immigrants and end abuses committed against them.
In his message, sent to both Presidents prior to their scheduled meeting on January 12, the Bishop indicates that “the issue of illegal immigration transcends borders and must be addressed on a regional, if not hemispheric, level. The United States and Mexico must cooperate to ensure that policies are adopted that permit migrants to migrate and work in a safe and controlled manner.”
Bishop Wester observes that these immigrants are often “subject to abuse and exploitation by unscrupulous employers and human smugglers and other criminal elements, as well as to lengthy and unnecessary detention in substandard jails.” He also recalls that “sadly, many have died tragically in the American or Mexican desert.” In fact, since 1994 more than 4,000 migrants have died attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.
Thus, the Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration states that “The long-term solution to illegal immigration is not militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border, but economic development in poor nations.” Both countries should work towards progress in the poor areas of Mexico and other Latin American nations, so that migrants and their families can remain in their countries of origin and work and live in dignity. Normally, the Bishop says, immigrants “risk their well-being and lives to migrate in order to find work and support their families—it is a decision made out of necessity, not choice.” “The two nations must build bridges of cooperation, not walls of separation,” the Bishop said. In this tragic situation, the Catholic Church present in both countries responds daily to the basic humanitarian needs of migrants and families separated across borders. Lastly, the Chairman of the Migration Committee explains that “reform of U.S. immigration laws is crucial to ensure family unity and protect human dignity. A majority of immigrant families in the United States have one or more members who are out-of-status and who are at risk of separation.” He mentions that Mexico also must examine and reform its immigration laws, so that migrants from Central and South America are not subject to exploitation. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 14/1/2009)