A Moral Challenge to Congress : Immigration: It’s not ‘reform’ of immigration to deny children education and cash assistance for food, clothing and shelter

The House of Representatives last month passed an immigration bill after prolonged and divided debate. In the end, members from both sides of the aisle joined to approve the legislation by an overwhelming margin.

Bipartisan support, however, is never a sure indication of sound legislation. Instead, the vote signaled the coming of an election season in which pollsters have calculated that immigration toughness may be a key litmus test for candidates in November.

The immigration bill contains two Proposition 187-style amendments. The first would deny public education to undocumented children; the second seeks to deny benefits under Aid to Families With Dependent Children to children with U.S. citizenship whose parents are undocumented. These amendments, as the opponents of Proposition 187 saw all too clearly, are punitive measures that force children to pay dearly for the actions of their parents.

Today, the Senate begins debate on its own immigration legislation. The test of leadership will be the Senate’s ability to rise above the posturing and positioning that can poison election-year lawmaking. To do so, they must first restrain those within their ranks intent on producing a bill equal to that passed by the House.

To reclaim its mantle of leadership, the Senate must be willing to consider the human and moral implications of its policy decisions as thoughtfully and thoroughly as it weighs opportunities for political advantage.

If genuine immigration reform is to be achieved, we must come to terms with our economy’s almost insatiable market for the low-wage, low-skill labor that immigrants provide. We must see the connections between our foreign policy, international relations and immigration policy. We must confront the underlying social and racial tensions that arise in our communities as rapid demographic changes literally change the face and color of neighborhoods across the country. And finally, we must address the social isolationism and individualism deeply rooted in a society that has severely depleted the stock of goodwill toward those understood, in biblical terms, as the “stranger and alien.”

To reconcile these challenges effectively involves a far more complex analysis and revision of immigration policy than Congress or the electorate has demonstrated the patience for. To do so, Congress must deal with multiple challenges:

* Immigration “infrastructure” must be reinforced to deal effectively and humanely with both legal and illegal immigration. The capacity of the Immigration and Naturalization Service must be increased to process new citizenship applications in a timely manner and monitor those persons already here on work permits and visas. In turn, local law enforcement, school officials and social service providers should not be required to do the work of the INS to check and verify immigration status.

* Immigration policy should continue to promote a healthy level of legal immigration, which has traditionally benefited U.S. social, cultural and economic life.

* Immigration reform should not limit the ability of refugees with legitimate asylum cases to request and find safe harbor here.

The U.S. Catholic bishops have been consistent and vocal advocates for reform in the areas of health care, welfare and immigration. We have urged legislators to consider what our nation’s policies will do to protect human life, affirm human dignity and exhibit a care and concern for the poor and most vulnerable members of society.

Undeniably, the American electorate is unsettled and anxious. Pointing the finger at immigrants--undocumented or documented--is an easy solution. For the time being, it allows lawmakers to avoid the more complex issues of job insecurity, growing disparities in wealth and declines in real wages and income. These issues are at the heart of the frustration that spawns support for some of the more drastic measures proposed this year in welfare and immigration reform.

Comprehensive immigration reform--like health care and welfare reform--is a project that demands our attention. To reclaim its mantle of leadership on immigration and other legislative issues, Congress must be willing to reintroduce basic moral principles into the debate--principles that highlight the human and moral implications of the policy proposals on the table. If our elected representatives are faithful to this exercise, they will soon deduce that denying children education and cash assistance for food, clothing and shelter is not immigration reform.