Thread: ‘We don’t strengthen our country by breaking up families

Reaction to immigration arrest focuses on family

http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/tct/s ... ation.html


‘We don’t strengthen our country by breaking up families and deporting poor people’

By Dennis O’Connor

ARCHDIOCESE — Reactions from throughout the Archdiocese of Cincinnati following the Aug. 28 arrest of an estimated 160 workers at Koch Foods in Fairfield have been guarded yet firmly in favor of a continued pursuit of just immigration reform in the United States.

Dozens of special agents from the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency executed criminal search warrants at the Chicago-based chicken-processing company. According to press information released by the immigration agency, approximately 160 workers were arrested for "immigration violations."


CT/TONY TRIBBLE
A young Hispanic mother holds her child as she walks on Vine Street in Cincinnati.
The enforcement actions were part of a two-year, ongoing ICE investigation based on evidence that Koch Foods may have been knowingly hiring illegal aliens at its poultry processing and packaging facility, according to the press information.
"Unlawful employment is one of the key magnets drawing illegal aliens across our borders," said Julie L. Myers, assistant secretary of Homeland Security for ICE. "When illegal aliens use fraudulent documents or engage in identity theft, they not only exploit a vulnerability, they also cause real harm to U.S. citizens. We will pursue egregious violators by seeking criminal charges and continue to deploy tools such as the new social security no-match guidelines to help businesses comply with the law."

Within a day of the arrests, from the circles of the faithful working with immigrants in the archdiocese, numerous observers decried the lack of just-guidance on how to deal with the complicated issue of immigration.

"The immigration raid on Koch Foods was the result of Congress’ failure to enact comprehensive reform," said Tony Stieritz, director of the archdiocese’s office of Social Action. "We understand that immigration officials need to do their jobs and enforce the laws, but we are saddened that they do it in a way that pulls families apart and sends immigrants further into the shadows. More than anything, we need our lawmakers to get back to the table and, in a civil manner, reform our broken immigration system."

Stieritz said he understood the emotionally-charged nature of discussions surrounding immigration, but he added that the problems — with or without raids — will continue until a fair solution is embraced in the United States.

"The immigration issue is a complex one, and it’s okay for people to not have the same opinions about it," he said. "However, it’s been made very clear to me that many people who have strong feelings about this issue are not familiar with how the immigration system actually works and why they would even come here illegally to begin with. The bishops are calling us to learn the realities of immigration from all sides. We need a civil discussion about this issue, so that we can piece together an immigration system that serves the common good."

Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk weighed in on the arrests, noting, like Stieritz, that to date, progress on any positive legislation is lacking on immigration.

"We don’t strengthen our country by breaking up families and deporting poor people," Archbishop Pilarzyk said. "We strengthen our country by putting together a more enlightened immigration policy. So far, we seem to have been unwilling to do that."

Father Mike Pucke, pastor of St. Julie Billiart Parish in Hamilton — where a significant immigrant population is located — echoed Archbishop Pilarczyk’s concerns about policy fixes. "My comment echoes everybody: Once more, this points out the importance of fixing a broken immigration system. And a broken system has very drastic consequences in the lives of some of our parishioners."

Mike Gable, director of the archdiocese’s Mission Office, said he hoped that there would be more human empathy as the faithful discuss the immigration issue.

"There’s a national Pew Foundation survey that was done a few months ago that is very telling," Gable said. "Pew found that American citizens who know immigrant families have a much more compassionate desire to have more just-immigration legislation. The research also found that those who don’t know immigrant families have a much more negative attitude and want a set of rules for immigrants. It sounds like a no-brainer. I’d like to let folks know that once you’ve been in their shoes, it looks like a very different case.

"I think the bottom line is that people need to recall Matthew 25: ‘I was hungry and you fed me.’ I’m just grateful that my great-grandparents came to the United States when they did. It is easy to forget that we are a nation of immigrants."

Stieritz added that the faithful in the archdiocese need to consider the plight of the people coming across the United States borders in search of relief from what are often horrible conditions.

"The workers at Koch Foods plant were not invaders trying to do us harm," he said. "The majority of them were hard-working people who were lured to this country by a job that could pay in an hour what they could make at home in a day. They were the easy targets."

ARCHDIOCESE my foot this tiltle realy ticks me off we are doing the job because they are ILEAGLE

"We don’t strengthen our country by breaking up families and deporting poor people,"

We strengthen our country by keeping out people who don't belong here, by getting rid of people who could be terrorist or disease carriers or Identity stealers, or murders and it goes on and on. So why don't these chumps get it?

sob, sob, sob.....

WE do not break up families. "fAMILIES" WHO BREAK THE LAW in entering the U.S., are just ASKING for trouble. If they don't want to be separated, they SHOULD STAY HOME!!! If they are separated THEY HAVE NO ONE TO BLAME BUT THEMSELVES.

I do not, cannot, and will not, feel sorry for ILLEGAL ALIENS faced with the CONSEQUENCES of their own actions.

We don’t strengthen our country by breaking up families and deporting poor people’

What a jackass! We don't strengthen our country either by PANDERING TO LAW BREAKERS, CHILD MOLESTERS, DRUG DEALERS, KILLERS, RAPISTS, GANG BANGERS, ETC.

Keep your archdioses nose out of this business!

Stieritz added that the faithful in the archdiocese need to consider the plight of the people coming across the United States borders in search of relief from what are often horrible conditions.

"The workers at Koch Foods plant were not invaders trying to do us harm," he said. "The majority of them were hard-working people who were lured to this country by a job that could pay in an hour what they could make at home in a day. They were the easy targets."

Oh sir, but they are doing us harm! For the last 20 years or so they have continuously driven down wages in this country, they continue to drive down wages to the point that the middle class is disappearing before our very eyes! It is not the responsibility of the American government to fix the poverty in their country! If the conditions are so horrible why are you and your diocese in Latin America, and Mexico not lobbying and complaining to the Mexican government responsible for their plight! Mexico sir IS the problem not the U.S

So why don't these chumps get it?

Could it be corporate donations and ignorant trusting parents bringing in their children?

It would never occur to me to bring my young children along as I broke the laws of another country, and expect to be able to use them as human shields against that country's laws. It would never occur to me to expect that using children this way would deter that country from enforcement against me. I would be the one worrying about my kid's safety, unwilling to jeopardize them for my personal benefit.

SOB STORY

I could care less about illegal alien scum being upset over being deported...and I could care even less about the catholic church screaming about it...they can all live in the vatican.

How about we weaken our Congress and Constitution by allowing Mexicans invade here by their government causing a push for bilingual spanish and the globalist amero currency. The NAFTA guru Bush was in South America last year talking about we need more Brazilians in the USA, this NAFTA BS goes beyond Mexico!