Posted by
Gayle Plato-Besley, M. Ed. on Monday, March 10, 2008 1:16:37 PM
Recently, I read a telling article in the Phoenix Diocese's newspaper, The Catholic Sun. As an actively practicing Catholic, I was a bit troubled by the message pushed by the editorial staff. Please see the original article and then my response:
ARTICLE: http://www.catholicsun.org/2008/feb21/local/immigration-effect.html
MY RESPONSE: ( The Catholic Sun chose not to publish it)
Dear Editors,
Regarding the Catholic Sun's cover story, "EXODUS: Are Arizona Immigration Laws Having An Effect on Churchgoers?". My simple answer to the headline's posed question is as a churchgoer, YES, I am deeply effected. As a Master degreed counselor, I've worked in local schools, for Maricopa County Juvenile Courts, and privately. I can attest to the fact that there is a great need to help young families suvive and thrive- to ultimately achieve the American Dream.
Managing Editor and article author, J.D. Long-Garcia, pointed out how there is a natural desire to immigrate and improve, even quoting Pope JohnXXIII. I feel for the young family here with limited options and now a sense of urgency to leave either due to the economy or fear of new legislation. Whether the economic woes we all feel or the laws new impact, the illegal immigrants face the flip side of the American Dream: living within the law is a hard thing to do at times.
I also read the wonderful and touching story of the Myanmar family of St. Jerome's parish who lost their son. I was impressed to see that Catholic Charities helped the family emmigrate and find a home in Arizona. The community helped this family in their joy and now in sorrow. The role of a Church Charity is best met in helping families achieve legal status and find a community of support.
Unfortunately, Arizona and other states have allowed the laws to be denied, setting up many a young family. Lations from Mexico and other Latin American counties have been encouraged to seek out a better life. Yet, where is the organization,Catholic Charities, in helping these families come in properly and legally? No matter how Mr. Long-Garcia spins the story, the family in question is in an illegal status and ultimate quagmire as they've been misled, believing that no one would question their status. Now, many a family had illegal adults, and legal American children, all living as black market beings on the fringe. We Americans buy into the need to save everyone without thinking about what that means. We are NOT helping families by encouraging them to sneak in, live illegally and marginally, only so we can have a flow of cheap labor. We are also hurting the alien families and our own citizens when we deny the huge flux of violent crime directly related to illegal aliens. Just ask many of the parishoners who are police officers how they feel about the twisted laws literally tying their hands from processing violent offenders.
I also have seen a great wave of illegal drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, and children of high educational need flooding the state and local systems. They are not turned away and we all have tried to help. But, like a parent who's let one's child get away with something, we are clamping down and saying no more.
As a a parishioner, I've listened to presentations by pastors of Mexican parishes talk of the degredation and third world-like standards in many poor communities south of the border. Our parisioners opened their wallets as the plate was passed. We help all of the time and want the poor to have a chance. We need more than biased, politically charged stories from the Catholic Sun. Your piece was not a news story but an opinion commentary promoted as news. I want to hear more about what is being done to help Mexicans thrive back home. With some of the most fertile ground, ideal location, and world importance, why IS Mexico struggling internally? Poor infrastructure and corruption are critical realities that, I believe, the Catholic Church as a World-wide organization and political power needs to step up and help as negotiating statesmen.
Organized crime and drug trafficking is a booming business of epoch proportions in Mexico. In fact, there are reports of how the local economies of some areas are improving from the drug cartel monies funneling into the local economies. Sadly, the local criminals in Mexico see the need for better socieities and the locals cannot turn down the help. I am tired of the American citizen being blamed for expecting people to follow laws while being asked to donate money while the country of origin is literally ignored. A vital story I read stated the following: "By some estimates, some $24 billion a year is transferred to Mexico as a result of the drug trade. This is essentially free money and needs to go somewhere, making it a substantial portion of the Mexican economy. While the Mexican government is keen to stop the violence along the border and among the cartels, in some ways it is less interested in stopping the flow of money," (http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/big_business_organized_crime_mexico).
The real story, Mr. Long-Garcia, is not the illegal alien scared of being caught, but the multi-billion dollar corrupt practices of drugs, of using and abusing the citizens there, and the absolute drain on our loving society to try and band-aid a political wound , now bleeding out on the Arizonan border.