Catholic World News News Feature
US bishops criticize immigration policies February 18, 2008
Two American Catholic bishops have suggested changes in US immigration regulations, saying that current policies are unfair to immigrants and their families.
Bishop John Wester, the chairman of the US bishops' committee on migration; and Bishop Jaime Soto, the chairman of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, made their suggestions in a letter ot Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. They argued that more vigorous enforcement effort by the Immigration and Custom Enforcement agency (ICE) have taken a toll on immigrant families.
The bishops asked that ICE suspend enforcement during times of natural disasters, and said that the agency should not patrol for illegal immigrants near churches, hospitals, or schools. They asked for greater protection of the legal rights of those detained for illegal immigration.
Earlier his month Bishop Wester had sharply criticized the economic-stimulus package approved by Congress because it does not provide tax rebates to illegal immigrants. That approach, the bishop said, "reveals the hypocrisy of our laws" because illegal immigrants pay taxes but do not enjoy the benefit of the rebates.
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