Clergy's role grows in immigration reform discussion

by Erin Kelly -
Oct. 19, 2009 12:00 AM
Republic Washington Bureau .

WASHINGTON - As more than 2,500 immigrants rallied at the Capitol in support of comprehensive immigration reform, Methodist Bishop Minerva Carcaño of Arizona told the crowd it could count on her and other religious leaders for support.

"We truly are with you," she said last week as she introduced about a half-dozen Catholic and Protestant clergy members. "And we believe that God is on your side too."

But just which side God is on has increasingly become the subject of debate as pro-immigration and anti-immigration forces bring dueling religious leaders to the nation's capital to argue over whose cause is the most righteous.

Both sides are claiming the moral high ground in anticipation of possible congressional legislation on immigration. Although the issue has been put on hold while lawmakers tackle health care and economic recovery, congressional leaders remain hopeful that they can take up the immigration issue early next year. Reform proponents want legislation to include a path toward citizenship for the nation's 11 million-plus undocumented immigrants along with tighter security at U.S. borders.

So far, immigration supporters have done a better job of attracting Christian and Jewish clergy, immigration opponents acknowledge.

The priests, rabbis and ministers who have dominated the public debate on immigration have come out "almost always on the side of legalization of illegal immigrants and increases in immigration," said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates reduced immigration.

That point has been underscored in just the past few weeks. In addition to the Capitol rally, a key Senate subcommittee debating immigration reform held a hearing this month at which a cardinal, two Protestant ministers from California, one pastor from Minnesota and a religious scholar all spoke in favor of a more liberal immigration policy.

"The current immigration system, which can lead to family separation, suffering and even death, is morally unacceptable and must be reformed," testified Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop emeritus of Washington, D.C., and consultant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration.

Counter argument

Krikorian and other anti-immigration leaders have begun trying to counter that immigrant-friendly, pro-reform sentiment with public appearances and speeches by religious leaders and scholars who argue that religion should not be used to condone illegal immigration.

Dominique Peridans, a Roman Catholic priest who has been a pastor at churches along the Texas-Mexico border and now ministers in Maryland, said he would help an individual illegal immigrant who came to his door in need but cannot endorse the idea of helping millions flout the law.

"My ministry cannot disrespect those (immigration) laws," Peridans said during a recent discussion of religious perspectives on immigration hosted by the Center for Immigration Studies at the National Press Club.

Supporters of immigration reform unfairly try to paint anyone who disagrees with them as ignoring the biblical admonition to "love the stranger," said Stephen Steinlight, author of the book "No 'Progress by Pesach': The Jewish Establishment's Usurpation of American-Jewish Opinion on Immigration."

"Immigration reform is not about love," Steinlight, who is Jewish, said at the press club. He also is a senior analyst at the Center for Immigration Studies. "It's about exploiting cheap labor, Hispanic identity politics and creating a permanent Democratic majority. (The Bible) does not command us to exploit strangers for profit or political advantage."

Religious influence

The fact that anti-immigration advocates are jumping into the religious debate is evidence that they view their opponents' biblical arguments as especially powerful, said Philip Williams, director of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Florida.

"To me, it's an indication that they see the power of the moral argument as more persuasive than the legal argument," said Williams, who has done research on the convergence of religion and politics in the Latino community.

Until now, immigration opponents have emphasized that undocumented immigrants are breaking the law and that rules need to be enforced to secure the borders.

"But those who are advocates of immigration reform have focused on the immigrants as human beings, and asked whether we should treat them as criminals or as brothers and sisters who deserve our compassion and understanding," Williams said.

The more the public sees the issue as a moral one, the more they will turn to clergy members to see which side they come down on, the professor said.

And, ultimately, those clergy members will have clout in Congress.

"Religious leaders have influence over their congregants, and those congregants are constituents of the legislators in Congress," Williams said. "Members of Congress see these churches as important interest groups, and they're going to pay attention."

Reach the reporter at ekelly@gannett.com.

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