Panel discusses Catholic teaching on immigration
By Chris Donahue
Staff Writer
PLAINSBORO — A panel comprising Catholic clergy and community leaders called on elected officials to pass comprehensive immigration reform to protect the dignity and human rights of all people at Queenship of Mary Parish Sept. 22.
The panel also voiced its support for a statement issued Sept. 10 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which called on President Bush and the Department of Homeland Security to re-examine the use of worksite enforcement raids as an immigration enforcement tool.
The panel was led by Bishop Bernabé de Jesus Sagastume Lemus of the Diocese of Santa Rosa, Guatemala. Bishop Sagastume, a member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, visited the Diocese of Metuchen Sept. 20-27.
Bishop Sagastume, speaking through an interpreter, said it is part of a Catholic’s baptismal call to help those who are “less fortunate and affected by tragedies such as natural disasters, violence, poverty, hunger and so many other issues.”
He described the separation of families because of deportation as a “social injustice.”
“In 2005,” he added, “11,000 Guatemalan families were deported. In 2006, there were 18,000. Last year, 23,000 were deported. The numbers are alarming.”
Bishop Sagastume also cited the tens of thousands of Central Americans deported from other countries. The children of separated families suffer especially, he added, because without two parents, many have behavioral problems such as drug abuse.
“I also understand the concerns of Americans after Sept. 11,” the bishop said. “People are afraid of immigrants, not only because they maybe taking their jobs, but they might be criminals or terrorists. In light of these concerns, that is why I am so grateful to all of the people who support them and help them.”
Bishop Sagastume cited the benefits of the Global Solidarity Partnership with the Diocese of Metuchen, which has sent several delegations to help educate people on how to grow crops and live healthier lives.
The diocese’s long-term commitment will help reduce immigration to the U.S. because people’s lives will become more stable, he said.
The panel discussion was one of 17 activities scheduled nationwide as part of a “Tour of the Faithful” Sept. 10 to Oct. 19 to pressure elected officials to pass immigration reform and educate people of faith to do the same, said Father Joseph J. Kerrigan, director of the Catholic Charities Solidarity Team, Diocese of Metuchen, which sponsored the event.
Other panelists were: Jarteau Israel, director of the diocese’s Catholic Charities’ Office for Immigration; Maria Juega, immigration advocate; and Jason Rowe, Marco Benito and German Flores, members of New Brunswick-based New Labor organization.
The event was the largest gathering in the history of the diocese pertaining to immigration, according to Father Kerrigan, who also serves as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, New Brunswick.
The issue is important because “migration is like a jet stream that is connected by poverty,” he said. “To follow Jesus, you could do a lot worse than helping those that are migrants.”
In a question-and-answer session, Father Kerrigan explained the USCCB’s position on immigration reform, which calls for an “earned path” to citizenship for the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants, not blanket “amnesty.”
The bishops also do not condone unlawful entry or circumventions of the nation’s immigration laws, Father Kerrigan said.
Israel discussed the many services provided to immigrants by the diocese, including education about employment, filing applications for citizenship, helping women in abusive relationships, legal assistance for those facing deportation and financial assistance for families separated by deportations.
“Very often we hear a story about people who have been waiting for years to become citizens, so sometimes being undocumented is not a clear representation of people who come here to work and be good citizens,” Israel said.
Rowe, an organizer with New Labor, said “welcoming strangers is at the heart of the Christian tradition” and cited the Gospel of Matthew: “For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome…’Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.”
“Irish, Italian, Eastern Europeans; the identity of the Church in America is immigration,” Rowe added. “There are no borders in the kingdom of God.”
Juega said people can help make life a little easier and more welcoming for immigrants by attending a Spanish-speaking liturgy, tutoring, transporting them to appointments or to obtain documents.
“We do need people to wash dishes and take care of babies and take care of lawns and clean bathrooms. These kind of jobs can not be outsourced,” Juega said.
Benito and Flores, both of Guatemala, said there are many misconceptions about immigrants, including they don’t want to learn English and they take jobs from Americans.
Among the activities provided by New Labor are conducting classes in English as second language, computer training, and advocating for day laborers, Flores noted.
“We come here to do the jobs others will not do,” Flores said. “The U.S. was made by immigrants and we need to make sure it is fair for the new immigrants.”
Bill Stahlin, a member of Queenship of Mary Parish, traveled with his parish’s delegation to Santa Rosa in June.
Stahlin, a professor at Stevens Institute, Hoboken, said the panel helped provide a deeper understanding of the immigration issue.
“If they get deported, they are used to living in the United States so it is difficult to get a job down there,” he said. “Also, the families lose the financial support.”
Elizabeth Kupin, a graduate student at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, and a member of the Catholic Center at Rutgers’ Graduate Group, said the panel also helped put a human face to the issue.
“A lot of the immigration issues pertain to New Brunswick,” she said. “Knowing what to do as Catholics, why we do it and understanding all of these facts is a big step.”