AMERICA- Solidarity on behalf of LAMEC to the U.S. Bishops contrary to the anti-immigration law that threatens the Church's ministry

Tuesday, 20 September 2011

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Bogota (Agenzia Fides) - The Department of Justice and Solidarity of LAMEC (Latin American Episcopal Council) has expressed its solidarity to Mgr. José Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles and President of the Migration Commission of the Episcopal Conference of the United States of America, for his letter against anti-immigration law in the state of Alabama. Even Alabama, following other states, has adopted the new legislation which is considered one of the strictest anti-immigration laws in that it allows the police to halt migrants, and to arrest suspects if they are not able to prove their position as being regular. In addition, schools must ensure that students are "regular" before starting lessons, and employers must do the same before taking on an immigrant.
Mgr. Gomez’s Letter, dated 8 September 2011, is an appeal to the authorities of the country (the Administration and the Congress), for a comprehensive reform on migration law. "Our country desperately needs a federal solution to the challenge of illegal immigration, a solution that balances the rule of law with humanitarian principles", wrote Mgr. Gomez. "The Catholic Church offers pastoral and social services to all people, regardless of their immigration status. Our duty is to provide pastoral care and social assistance to all children of God. The government should not hinder this duty, as the founders of this nation made it clear in the Constitution of the United States", said the statement fon behalf of the Archbishop of Los Angeles.
In the note, LAMEC expresses these words: "Human mobility, internal and external mass migration are phenomena that mark today's world of globalization, where the laws of supply and demand of the labor market are imposed. We traditionally celebrate America as a nation of immigrants and its historical legacy of religious freedom. We believe that human life and its inherent dignity should never be reduced to the logic of the market, with the risk of being regarded as an object or a commodity".
"We Christians have a duty to remember that respect for people and their rights is the fundamental condition of human beings. Therefore, we join the U.S. Bishops in their efforts to stop the entry into force of a state law that threatens the ministry of the Church in Alabama for illegal immigrants", the statement concludes. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 20/09/2011)