1. Immigration and families
By Kaitlyn Maleady

2. What’s the Problem?
Some of the most important aspects of our faith are the family and welcoming people into our lives who need help.
Over the summer, 2,654 children were separated from their families due to a new “zero-tolerance policy” regarding illegal immigration.
They were detained in various family detention centers across the country, with some children even being housed at Mercy First.
In July, the President issued an executive order to reunite families, but hundreds of children still remain separated from their parents today.
The US must reform its immigration policies and make them more humane.

3. How the Law Fits In
Immigrants should come into this country legally, and there are ways to do so.
A qualified family member can request residency for their immediate family, but this can take years.
Immigrants can seek asylum in the US if they are fleeing persecution, but a high standard of proof is required for this and most people are fleeing poverty not persecution.
American employers can sponsor workers to come to the US but these programs have requirements, caps, and durations that do not meet the US’s need for labor.
In 2015 the Pope urged Congress to view these immigrants as people, listen to their stories, and try to respond humanely to their situations.

4. Immigration and the Bible
The New and Old Testaments tell the narratives of refugees forced to leave their nations.
After the Israelites fled Egypt God said "You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; have the same love for him as for yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt" (Lv 19:33-34).
The New Testament begins with Joseph, Mary, and Jesus fleeing Herod’s wrath. Thus, Jesus himself lived as a refugee in his early life.
The Beatitudes call us to exhibit kindness towards strangers and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
The Story of the Good Samaritan shows that we should express kindness and compassion to strangers, especially when they are struggling.

5. Statement by the Sisters of Mercy
"The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas strive to witness to Mercy by reverencing the dignity of each person, creating a spirit of hospitality, and pursuing integrity of word and deed in our lives. As an Institute, we recognize an urgent duty and challenge to stand in solidarity with immigrants seeking fullness of life."
-Fourth Institute Chapter, 2005

6. The Sisters of Mercy on Immigration
One of the Sisters of Mercy’s areas of critical concern is immigration.
Every human being has the right to a home, livelihood, education, and healthcare.
They analyze the conditions that cause people to flee their countries and the impact of immigration on the world.
The Sisters promote the passing of fair and compassionate immigration laws, aim to reduce the number of deportations and families that are unjustly torn apart, and get rid of the detention center bed quota.
Overall, the Sisters of Mercy aim to carry out God’s teachings of mercy, love, and compassion through their efforts to better the US immigration system and make it more humane.

7. How It Relates to a Corporal Work of Mercy
The critical concern of immigration and families relates to the corporal work of mercy shelter the homeless.
Immigrants leave their homes in hope of a better life for themselves and their families. We should welcome them, offering them shelter or aid.
We can pray for the immigrants, make immigration laws more humane, or help individual immigrants and their families.
Like all humans, immigrants were all created in God’s divine image. They deserve to live in safety and have the right to homes, livelihoods, educations, and healthcare.

8. How It Relates to a Spiritual Work of Mercy:
The issue of immigration and families relates to the Spiritual Work of Mercy comfort, as we are called to comfort and support refugees and immigrants.
We must have compassion, and comfort those fleeing from their homes in search of a better life.
We should comfort the families that have been separated, work to reunite them and prevent families from being separated in the future.

9. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ View
The USCCB sums up Catholic Social Teaching on Immigration into 3 Principles:
People have the right to migrate to help sustain their lives and the lives of their family.
However, countries have the right to regulate border control and to monitor immigration.
Finally, a country must regulate its borders with mercy, justice, and compassion.

10. Pope Francis’ Point of View
“Migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity,” Pope Francis said. “They are children, women, and men who leave or are forced to leave their homes for various reasons, who share a legitimate desire for knowing and having, but above all for being more.”
We must see immigrants as people created in God’s divine image just like us, before questioning their legality.
These migrants are not the criminals nor the heroes of the economy they may be portrayed as, but people just like all of us, searching for a better life.

11. Pope Francis’ View
He defines integral ecology as how humans interact with each other and the environment.
Pope Francis said “There has been a tragic rise in the number of migrants seeking to flee from the growing poverty caused by environmental degradation We need to strengthen the conviction that we are one single human family The poor and the earth are crying out.”
By caring for the environment we can make sure the Earth is in better shape to support the poor. Caring for Creation also means caring for other people, specifically those who are migrating and looking for new beginnings.

12. Pope Benedict
Pope Benedict defines human ecology as the study of the relationship between humans and our environment.
Pope John Paul II stated that family was at the core of human ecology.
Since we are called to be stewards of creation, we must not only care for the environment, but for each other.
We must specifically focus on the family and its role in society.
Family is important, and must be cared for, especially with immigration.

13. Pope Francis on “social ecology”
Pope Francis also calls for a “social ecology” to recognize that the well- being of society’s institutions can have consequences for the environment and the quality of human life.
This relates to families and immigration as by limiting immigration to try to ensure that the US prospers, the quality of human life may be negatively affected.

14. My Opinion
I think that the Church is right, that we must care for immigrants in need.
This does not mean that we stop regulating our borders, but instead that we show compassion and mercy to refugees and their families.
We should make sure that what happened this summer when families were separated never happens again, as we should respect the family and God’s creation.

15. Solutions the USCCB Has Proposed
Earned Legalization: foreign nationals who are living in the US can apply for citizenship and obtain lawful permanent residence.
Future Worker Program: would let foreign-born workers enter the country safely and legally and provide workplace protections.
Family-based Immigration Reform: would increase the number of family visas available.
Addressing the Root Causes of Migration: seek long-term solutions for the causes of migration, including aiding other countries economically.
Enforcement: make any enforcement measures humane, but intercept unauthorized migrants so that more migrants can enter the US to live and work, and law enforcement can focus on those who truly threaten public safety.

16. How We Can Help
We can pray for immigrants and refugees, as well as for more humane laws to be passed.
We can also write letters to members of Congress lobbying for more just and merciful immigration laws.
Finally, we can get involved with organizations such as the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rockville Centre to actively aid immigrants. This could include English language instruction or even legal counsel.

17. Sources
teaching-on-immigration-and-the-movement-of-peoples.cfm
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