HEARTS OF THE CITY: Exploring attitudes and issues behind the news.

A rotating panel of experts from the worlds of philosophy, psychology and religion offer their perspectives on the dilemmas that come with living in Southern California.

Today’s question: From a moral point of view, should 72 illegal immigrants from Thailand be deported after being freed in a government raid following years of alleged imprisonment and slavery in an El Monte sweatshop? The Rev. Warner R. Traynham

Rector, St. John’s Episcopal Church

“There is no moral principle that I am aware of which would suspend the penalties for one illegal act because in the commission thereof, individuals were subjected to pain and suffering due to the commission of other illegal acts by their confederates. This is one tragic case among many tragic cases in which persons desiring a better life break the law to enter the U.S. and are taken advantage of because of their illegal status. We need as sensitive, liberal and prejudice-free an immigration policy as we can manage, but to fail to implement it encourages these types of incidents.”

*

Miriyam Glazer

Associate professor and chairman of the department of literature at the University of Judaism

“We blind ourselves if we interpret the El Monte slave shop as an aberration. In this era of spreading anti-union ‘Wal-Mart Syndrome,’ that slave shop was the Great American Market Economy--a reflection of the same greed and disregard that numbs us into avoiding how our standard of living depends on the underpaid labor of undocumented workers. We participate in that economy; we are all morally implicated. The least we can do to restore our dignity is to act collectively toward these women with legally unnecessary but morally vital kindness and compassion. They have labored their way to citizenship. For our sakes as well as theirs, we must invite them to stay.”

*

The Rev. Ignacio Castuera

Senior pastor at Hollywood United Methodist Church

“St. Augustine wrote, ‘Love and do as you please.’ He connected the concept of love with the life and ministry of Jesus who, in the tradition of Israel’s prophets, challenged rules and rituals whenever people were hurting. Love, thus understood, determines the moral view that would lead caring and moral persons to give an unconditional ‘NO!’ to the question posed. American jurisprudence inherited from the Judeo-Christian tradition the notion of casuistry or extenuating circumstances . Casuistry and love together would lead most reasonable and caring people to answer NO. If we can make special allowances for athletes who pitch a fastball, how much more so for those who suffer much?

Compiled by LARRY B. STAMMER / Times Religion Writer