Catholic Bishops tell Pearce, Withdraw anti-immigrant bill

by David Safier

Let's hope this gets more coverage. The Phoenix New Times reports,

The Bishops of the Arizona Catholic Conference, which includes the Dioceses of Phoenix, Tucson, and Gallup, New Mexico, issued a statement today criticizing state Senator Russell Pearce's mirror anti-immigrant measures HB 2632 and SB 1070, urging that they be yanked from consideration.

Here's the complete letter, signed by Gerald F. Kicanas, Bishop of Tucson, Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix and James S. Wall, Bishop of Gallup.

This is the kind of thing religious leaders and their congregations should do more often — speak up for the downtrodden in a way that has moral, not political, overtones.

A few excerpts:

In particular, it is our understanding that SB 1070 and HB 2632 are identical bills aimed at requiring greater enforcement of immigration laws by local police. In addition to the concerns expressed by local police agencies throughout Arizona, we are concerned that the present language of these bills does not clearly state that undocumented persons who become victims of crime can come forward without fear of deportation.

After all, it is in all of our best interests that all people in our state – regardless of their citizenship status – should not be afraid to report crimes. Anything that may deter crimes from being reported or prosecuted will only keep dangerous criminals on the streets, making our communities less safe.

[snip]

If enacted, these bills could lead to separation of family members that would not take place under current federal law.

We believe it would be far better to withdraw these bills than to risk costly and unfairly punitive enforcement.

The problems with our immigration system are complex, and it is our prayer and hope that Congress will ultimately address this broken system with comprehensive immigration reform. In the meantime, we are concerned that local legislation not create new problems for families or have a negative impact on public safety.

I have to note that the letter begins with anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage language, which I've come to expect. But throwing the church's moral authority behind the rights of illegal immigrants and speaking out for comprehensive immigration reform are important, positive actions which deserve to be spotlighted in newspapers and on TV news programs.