Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People

People on the Move

N° 105, December 2007

Immigration Issues. the Focus of

USCCB Labor Day Statement*

Mark Pattison

Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Immigration issues, including the "failed immigration debate" that preceded Congress' unsuccessful vote to change U.S. immigration policy, were highlighted in the U.S. bishops' annual Labor Day statement.

"This vital national immigration discussion polarized our people, paralyzed the Congress and failed our nation," said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, N.Y., chairman of the bishops' domestic policy committee, in the statement. "After this debate, we are a society more divided, a people more confused and a nation unable to move forward on one of the most serious and complicated issues we face as a nation."

Although members of Congress could not work together on immigration policy, some low-wage workers were able to work together to carve out a better life for themselves, one of the "signs of hope" pointed to by Bishop DiMarzio in his statement.

Dated Sept. 3, the statement, "Labor Day 2007: A Time to Remember; A Time to Recommit," was released Aug. 24.

Bishop DiMarzio was critical of the immigration policy debate. "In my view, sometimes anger trumped wisdom, myths overwhelmed facts and slogans replaced solutions," he said. "We have to restart the discussion, to re-engage the hard issues, to search for practical and realistic solutions," he added.

"This debate brought out some of the worst in us. Now we need to draw on the best in us if we are ever going to move forward as a whole, healthy society and nation," the bishop said, calling for "reality, civility, morality and consistency" as the starting points for a new discussion on immigration.

Bishop DiMarzio said, "There are some 2 million undocumented people among us, most of whom are workers. Our economy and communities depend on them. They bus our dishes, pick our vegetables, clean our offices and homes, and care for our children among other jobs." These, he added, were some of the "inescapable facts" about immigration.

"The immigration status quo is unacceptable and unsustainable. The 'system' is broken. We need far-reaching and comprehensive reform," he added. "There is no fence long enough or high enough that can wall out the human and economic forces that drive immigration."

He added, "Immigration reform cannot start or stop at our borders. U.S. policy must help overcome the pervasive poverty and deprivation, the violence and oppression that push people to leave their own lands. Policies on debt and development, foreign aid and global trade are essential elements of any effective immigration reform."

Immigration issues should not be used for "partisan advantage, a ratings boost or a fundraising tactic," Bishop DiMarzio said. "We have to guard against policy disputes that encourage or excuse ethnic hostility or discrimination. We have seen the use of demeaning stereotypes, appeals to the worst in us, and one-sided advocacy pretending to be journalism."

Bishop DiMarzio said, "Human dignity is a gift from God, not a status to be earned. Fundamental rights to work, decent wages, safe working conditions, to have a voice in decisions, and the freedom to choose to join a union do not depend on where you were born or when you came to our nation."

In calling for nationwide reform, Bishop DiMarzio said, "Immigration policy should not depend on where in the United States you work or live. A patchwork of conflicting policies, punitive measures and local disputes cannot fix a broken federal system."

Bishop DiMarzio praised the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, an organization of Florida tomato pickers that received funding from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, for their "years of hard work" in reaching agreements with McDonald's and Yum! Brands -- owners of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC and other fast-food chains -- to get higher pay for their work and a new code of conduct in the fields.

"They organized, protested, fasted, demonstrated, insisted and would not be pushed aside. When no one gave them much of a chance, they stood up for their own lives, dignity and rights," Bishop DiMarzio said. "This small but impressive sign of hope is worth celebrating. It offers a call to all of us to stand with vulnerable workers who deserve our support and solidarity."