US bishops condemn Arizona immigration law
April 28, 2010
Four days after Governor Jan Brewer signed Arizona Senate Bill 1070 into law, the chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration issued a statement condemning the measure. The law requires police to ask for documentation from persons suspected of being illegal immigrants.
“On behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), I join with the Catholic bishops of Arizona in strongly opposing the enactment and implementation of Arizona SB 1070,” said Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City in his April 27 statement. “SB 1070 gives law enforcement officials powers to detain and arrest individuals based on a very low legal standard, possibly leading to the profiling of individuals based upon their appearance, manner of speaking, or ethnicity.”
“It could lead to the wrongful questioning and arrest of U.S. citizens and permanent residents as well as the division of families-- parents from children and husbands from wives,” he continued. “It certainly would lead to the rise in fear and distrust in immigrant communities, undermining the relationships between their members and law enforcement officials.”
“We call upon the Administration to review its impact on civil rights and liberties,” Bishop Wester concluded. “We renew our call for the Administration and Congress to work in a bipartisan manner to enact comprehensive immigration reform as soon as possible.”
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Further information:
- USCCB Migration Chairman Joins Arizona Bishops in Decrying Anti-Immigrant Measure, Calls for Comprehensive Reform (USCCB)
- Arizona SB1070 (Wikipedia)
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Posted by: bsp1022 -
Apr. 28, 2010 1:32 PM ET USA
Seems to me the USCCB again confuses Christ's mandate to "love our neighbors" - a call to each of us INDIVIDUALLY to welcome and care for strangers - with rational government policy regarding boarders. The only reason Europe and the USCCB can promote social engineering of this sort is because America has responded unstintingly to a world in need. [see WWII]. Both Europe and the USCCB are soon to get the shock of their lives as the US assumes 1 trillion per year in national debt.
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Posted by: michaelwilmes -
Apr. 28, 2010 10:14 AM ET USA
I love the phrase "comprehensive immigration reform". Why don't they simply state their actual position: AMNESTY.? I'll be filing this latest proclamation with the other USCCB drivel.... Their infamous Nuclear Weapons pastoral, and Always Our Children.
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Posted by: -
Apr. 28, 2010 9:45 AM ET USA
If the US bishops did not vote on it, how could the headline read "US bishops condemn..."
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Posted by: samuel.doucette1787 -
Apr. 28, 2010 8:58 AM ET USA
And in other news, the sun came up this morning. The USCCB can always be counted on to favor those who enter this country illegally and to weaken our national sovereignity and the rule of law.
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Posted by: -
Apr. 28, 2010 8:28 AM ET USA
I am entirely in agreement with this law. It is time we sorted out the illegal immigrants. Our debt is in the trillions yet we continue to support illegal immigrants while U.S. Citizens go in want and payer continually higher taxes. Legal immigrants are welcome no illegal.
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Posted by: -
Apr. 28, 2010 7:48 AM ET USA
Does embracing the Gospel mean that we as a country should not protect our borders and regulate immigration with reasonable laws which are enforced? Does the Gospel mean that we should not lock our doors at night, protect our families from unknown intruders, leave our citizens and property without reasonable safeguards? That's not the Gospel. To me that's simply bubbleheaded liberal politics with a miter.
