Cardinal Rigali Asks Senate to Reject House Immigration Bill
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PHILADELPHIA (CNS) -- Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia has asked the Senate to reject a House-passed immigration bill that stresses law enforcement to prevent illegal immigration.
"A more comprehensive and humane approach to immigration reform" is needed, he said in a Jan. 9 statement.
The Senate should support legislation "that reforms all aspects of our nation's immigration system, not simply law enforcement," he said.
The statement was issued to coincide with National Migration Week, celebrated Jan. 8-14 this year by the U.S. Catholic Church.
The cardinal urged the Senate to consider legislation that would allow the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. to legalize their status.
This would be an "earned legalization" program that would require immigrants "to work for up to six years before applying for legal permanent residence," he said.
"Earned legalization is not amnesty," he said.
Cardinal Rigali also favored establishing a temporary worker program and reducing the backlog of visas for family members wishing to join relatives in the U.S.
A temporary worker program "would provide legal channels for migrant workers to migrate in a safe, legal and orderly manner," he said.
Current backlogs in family visas are causing family separations "for up to 10 years or more," he said.
Adopting such proposals would offer stronger security measures because they provide "an incentive for undocumented immigrants and their families to 'come out of the shadows' and identify themselves to government authorities," said Cardinal Rigali.
The House bill passed Dec. 16 stressed tightening the border by building a huge fence along about one-third of the U.S.-Mexican border, increasing the number of Border Patrol agents and increasing penalties against employers who hire illegal immigrants. It also would make illegal entry into the United States a crime, as opposed to the civil offense it is now, and would penalize people who aid illegal immigrants.
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