US cardinal to the undocumented: you can 'come out of the shadows'

Rome, Italy, Nov 21, 2014 / 10:15 am

The vice president of the U.S. bishops' conference has said that charitable immigration reform must address the needs of both legal and illegal immigrants, encouraging the latter to come forward and receive help.

"Immigration (reform) should be more comprehensive, that is, we cover all immigrants, even the undocumented. We give people a chance to get their green card, a chance to come out of the shadows, so that when they work the money they get for themselves helps the culture too," Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo told CNA on Nov. 19.

"From my point of view, it's important that immigrants come out of the shadows, particularly the undocumented ones. In my mind it's one of the most important things we could do."    

Present in Rome for a Nov. 17-21 congress on the Pastoral Care for Migrants, Cardinal DiNardo, who is Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, Texas, offered his comments just one day before U.S. President Barack Obama revealed a major immigration reform package, issued by executive order.

In what is seen as a highly-contentious move, the president announced that he would stay the deportation of certain undocumented immigrant parents for up to three years, allowing them to work legally. Eligibility requirements include having lived in the U.S. for at least five years, having children who are U.S. citizens or legal residents, passing a criminal background check and agreeing to pay taxes.

Roughly 4 million people will likely qualify for this measure, while thousands of others will benefit from other changes. The president extended benefits of temporary residence to more children of undocumented immigrants, expanding the eligibility for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and extending their temporary stay from two to three years.

In addition, the president said he would increase border security resources and deport those who had illegally crossed the border recently. He said he would focus government enforcement resources on criminals and those who threaten security.

The executive order will mark the biggest change in immigration policy in three decades.

In his televised address, President Obama echoed Cardinal DiNardo's sentiments in telling immigrants to "Come out of the shadows and get right with the law."

The president insisted that his proposals did not amount to amnesty or straight-shot path to citizenship, although it will offer Social Security cards to those who qualify for the deferred deportation.

"What I'm describing is accountability – a common-sense, middle ground approach," the president said.

"Mass amnesty would be unfair," he stated. "Mass deportation would be both impossible and contrary to our character."

Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio Elizondo of Seattle, chair of the U.S. bishops' migration committee, issued a Nov. 20 statement welcoming the announcement of deferred deportations, saying that the United States has "a long history of welcoming and aiding the poor, the outcast, the immigrant and the disadvantaged."

Each day in the Church's social service projects, hospitals, schools and parishes, the devastating consequences of the separation of families due to the deportation of parents or spouses can be seen, he said.

The bishop noted that the episcopal conference had asked the Obama administration to "do everything within its legitimate authority to bring relief and justice to our immigrant brothers and sisters," adding that as pastors, "we welcome any efforts within these limits that protect individuals and protect and reunite families and vulnerable children."

He urged President Obama and members of Congress to work together in pursuing permanent reforms to the U.S. immigration system that seek the best interests of both the nation and the persons who migrate to the country in search of refuge.

"We will continue to work with both parties to enact legislation that welcomes and protects immigrants and promotes a just and fair immigration policy," the bishop said.

Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, president of the U.S. bishops' conference, issued a Nov. 20 statement, saying, "There is an urgent pastoral need for a more humane view of immigrants and a legal process that respects each person's dignity, protects human rights, and upholds the rule of law."

"As our Holy Father, Pope Francis, said so eloquently: 'Every human being is a child of God! He or she bears the image of Christ! We ourselves need to see, and then to enable others to see, that migrants and refugees do not only represent a problem to be solved, but are brothers and sisters to be welcomed, respected, and loved,'" the archbishop said.

On the topic of improving the pastoral care of immigrants, Cardinal DiNardo explained that the Church already offers a lot of help. However, he said that a legal reform would help "lighten-up" the Church's burden and allow greater focus on pastoral assistance.

"The Church always emphasizes the human person, so when we talk about the human person, we don't ask if you're an immigrant or whether you were born in the country," the cardinal observed.

"You are a human person that has aptitudes, has a singularity, has an excellence and a dignity that we want to draw on," he said, stressing that this vision is important to keep in mind when welcoming immigrants and helping them integrate into society.