IMMIGRATION:
A CRISIS
Politics, Economics, and Morality
In this short article, a continuation in our
series
entitled Point and Counterpoint (see www.asthma-drsprecace.com,
The
Involved Citizen), we attempt to provide a framework by which we can
stimulate
a dialogue among the Faithful regarding this vital subject.
First a few definitions and authoritative
statements. “Immigration:
The coming into the country of foreigners for the purposes
of
permanent residence; “Alien: A foreign born
person who has
not qualified as a citizen of the country; but an alien is a
person
within the meaning of the due process clause of the U.S. Constitution
to the
same extent as a citizen” (Black’s Law Dictionary).
Immigrants: Duties to and of…. “The
more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to
welcome
the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood
which he
cannot find in his country of origin…Immigrants are obliged to respect
with gratitude
the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them,
to obey
its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens….Access to employment
and to
professions must be open to all without unjust discrimination: men and
women,
healthy and disabled, natives and immigrants.”
(Catechism of the Catholic Church – Second
Edition, 1994, Imprimatur by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger).
Chinese character for Crisis:
the characters for danger and for opportunity.
Next, some history.
We are all immigrants, including those who came to North America
over
the Bering land-bridge eons ago. Every
tribe or peoples that came after the original immigrants subjected or
eliminated the earlier groups in one way or another, including the
tribes that
Columbus encountered in 1492, the embrace by American colonists and
later
citizens of slavery, our motivations for the Mexican War of 1848, the
depredations of Manifest Destiny, our own attempts at colonialism
during the
early 20th century, and the racism and classism that each
successive
wave of European immigrants had to endure.
This is not a new story.
Next, some facts.
Latinos reportedly account for about 14% of the American
population…and
increasing. The Asian population is
increasing dramatically. By contrast,
African-Americans make up about 9% of the population…and decreasing. Herein lies one of the political flash points
in the on-going controversy over Immigration Reform.
There are reportedly over 12 million
undocumented / illegal immigrants in this country right now. The reported cost to Americans of
services
to these people, including welfare, health care, education,
incarceration of
criminal illegals, and suppressed American wages is estimated to be
over $338
billion dollars per year. The estimated
cost of total deportation would be about $45 billion dollars annually
over a
five-year period.
Peter
Moore, PhD
George A. Sprecace, M.D., J.D.
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