Honduran Cardinal calls for more help for migrant workers in the US

Houston, Texas, Jun 9, 2005 / 22:00 pm

Immigrants and migrant workers deserve help, compassion and solidarity, not recrimination, said Honduran Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga.

The Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital, was in Houston  to attend a conference on migration. He spoke on the subject in two presentations at the University of St. Thomas. He also visited a home for undocumented immigrant children who have been detained.

The Houston Chronicle reported that in his 40-minute talk at the Catholic university, he said wealthy nations have "a greater obligation to adapt to migratory flows."

"Although the sovereign right of the states to monitor their borders is recognized, this cannot be done at the expense of the human rights of migrant individuals, regardless of their legal status," he was quoted as saying.

“All legislation must take into consideration the value of human rights in an increasingly violent world," he said.

According to the Chronicle, Cardinal Rodriguez also spoke about the dissolution of families and the brain drain that occurs when migrants leave for opportunities abroad, and he noted that the Honduran economy was in part supported by family remittances, often from the U.S.

"It is very sad that the poorest of the poor are supporting our economy," he was quoted as saying. "This is not just. This is the message we are trying to give to our government ... to give especially the young generations the opportunity to work and live with dignity."