Yes, It's Nativism
July 11, 2007 -- SAN DIEGO MINUTEMEN DRAW BIGOTED SUPPORT -- The decision of a suburban San Diego Catholic Church, St. Peter’s in Fallbrook, to welcome day laborers has unleashed an anti-Catholic response on the part of the San Diego Minutemen (an independent Minuteman group). We have asked for all parties to the dispute to exercise civility. Unfortunately, some of our critics are now unleashing their own hate-filled screeds. Herewith is a sample of the invective that has reached our office:
- "I'd be putting a mine field on the border—warn them of course and then do it."
- "You compound your embarrassing blindness by attacking the messengers of these facts with petty name calling, and even go so far as to call for a 'Catholic Jihad' against those who are concerned about the impact that these very real issues will have...."
- "I don’t understand how the Catholic League can support a church that is harboring felons."
- "I am also very angry that you're issuing your news releases in Spanish! Why does the Catholic League need to explain itself to these people!"
- "South America and Mexico are pushing on my country and as an American citizen... It is against the law for churches to help day labor services because of the separation of church and state."
- "By this sweeping and arrogant elitist attack on the people who oppose the illegal invasion of our country from the south, you are putting yourself in the same league with the overwhelming leftist, gay-friendly, California Amchurch hierarchy which hopes to replenish its dwindling flocks with illegal Mexicans."
- "I also wanted to register my total shock and annoyance at your first-time ever, as far as I'm aware, use of Spanish as if it were incumbent on Catholics to explain to Mexicans in America in their language various situations as opposed to them learning, understanding and speaking English."
Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented as follows:
"Fair criticism of the Catholic Church’s position on any public policy issue is welcomed. This kind of nativism is not."
There are some other press releases on this over there at the CL site. One links to this article which shows a priest with a "Satan head" as part of a demonstration outside the church on a Sunday. This is the first thing some children saw after making their First Holy Communion. Nice.
It's true that some Bishops have made some silly remarks in the past about illiegal immigration policies, but in this instance the Church is just making an attempt to minister to these people, not to provide shelter from immigration laws.
Rev. Edward "Bud" Kaicher, the church's pastor, said the Minutemen should protest the federal government, not the church. He said that offering the workers a safe place to gather is part of the church's mission, and he plans to continue do to so.
But if Father Bud, who seems to be in the right, is guilty of breaking some law or engaging otherwise in some conspiracy, this anti-Catholic nativist propaganda is still just that. It hurts the anti-illegal groups when they show these "colors", in my opinion.
...but in this instance the Church is just making an attempt to minister to these people, not to provide shelter from immigration laws.
ReplyDeleteThis is actually a very good point. Analogous to what the Church is doing, I have in the past provided legal representation to many people whom I'm pretty sure were here illegally with their workers' compensation claims. Believe it or not, you don't have to be in this country legally to be entitled to workers' comp benefits. Heck, you don't have to be here legally to be entitled to recover any unpaid wages that might have been earned. Of course, since it is illegal to employ an illegal alien, you won't find too many employers who do so objecting to or challenging an employee's worker's comp or wage claim. Self-preservation is a big incentive.
All of this, of course, just goes to underscore that just because you're providing assistance to illegal aliens, doesn't you're helping them evade immigration laws.
The last part of the last sentence should read "doesn't mean you're helping them evade immigration laws."
ReplyDeleteRoger, this is why I value immensely the opinions of lawyers on such matters. You can examine the facts independently and objectively and therefore you appreciate the complexity and the categorical differences.
ReplyDeleteThe people who are knee-jerk absolutists on illegal immigration -- like this specific citizens group -- are perceived to be racists and "nativists" even if they are not. In fact, I'm sure a good number of them are very well-meaning and merely parroting some rhetoric they'd heard somewhere. But it damages any point they might have, nonetheless. I have a really tough time getting past that "satan-priest" costume.
Yes, we need to enforce the laws and stabilize the borders. Not by supporting bigoted schmucks like these in San Diego.
ReplyDeleteThe following stories give glarring examples of the main issue both sides of the immigration ignore. That issue is the increased violence in Mexico will push people out of Mexico into places that do not have the violence, such as the US. Even if you build a Berlin Wall style fence along the Rio Grande or allow open borders for whoever; you will still have immigration problems. Until we work the Mexicans and others to control the violence; the problem will continue. What do you think?
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/articles/2007/05/18/news/news1.txt
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55781
One's first obligation is charity. Though I favour very liberal immigration laws, a country has limited resources (that's basic economics) so its first obligation, yes, charity, is to its own citizens. So some controls are necessary. A lot of the anti-immigration people such as online are racists and nativists but objection to illegal immigration is not necessarily so.
ReplyDeleteMr. Fogey, that's all well-enough said, but I doubt Father or the other folks involved in helping the poor in this case would turn away an American citizen. We help those near us, whoever they happen to be. If no American citizens are asking for help, well... a rough parallel would be St. Paul's "going to the gentiles."
ReplyDeleteA rather younger and very exhuberent man nick-named Pauli once stated to a priest that he was going to work for "the sanctification of the world" or some such noble ideal. The wise priest advised "Well, start with your family and neighbors and those around you."