On
April 6, 2018, an e-mail was sent out from the San Diego Diocese attaching a statement
from the U.S. Catholic Bishops of U.S./Mexico Border in response to the U.S.
National Guard deployment at the border. They appear to be concerned the
National Guard will be disruptive to communities and dehumanize immigrants, “as
if they all were threats and criminals.”
First
off, the people who the Bishops are referring to are not immigrants. Immigrants
are those who go through the immigration process. Secondly, those sneaking
across the border are criminals, they are breaking the law. Many are disruptive to communities by causing a financial burden
to taxpayers by fraudulently receiving welfare and food stamps plus free
medical care which drives up the cost of healthcare for hardworking citizens. And
let us not forget the disruption caused by the drugs and guns being smuggled
in, or the crimes committed by gang members and others – theft, rape, murder,
etc.
The
National Guard is being deployed because our borders are not secure. It’s not a matter of being insensitive to the
needs of those less fortunate, everyone deserves the right to a better life;
however, it’s a matter of security and economics. How many of them are threats … drug
smugglers, terrorists, gang members? How
many of them just want a free ride at the expense of taxpayers? We don’t
know.
Anyone
wanting to live in the United States need to be fully vetted to assure they are
not a threat to national security and are willing to go through the legal
immigration process like millions have done before; willing to learn our
language, assimilate and be productive members of society, not entering with
the intention of taking advantage of our overwhelmed social programs.
With all due respect, the Bishops should be focusing their
energy on the citizens in their flock who need help, and not be encouraging
law-abiding Catholics to harbor illegal immigrants, as Bishop McElroy has done
or labeling faithful Catholics who are concerned for their safety as not acting
in a Christian manner. We
lock our doors at night, do background checks on babysitters and monitor our
children’s activities and friends … all in the interest of keeping our family
safe…so why is securing our borders any different? And if we didn’t care about the less fortunate, we would
not be donating to the several charities that assist those in other
countries.
They should recall the words of St. Thomas Aquinas:
“It
is essential to human virtue that the movements of the soul should be regulated
by reason." (Summa
Theologica, II-II, q. 30, c.3)
"Without
such regulation, compassion is merely a passion. A false compassion is a
compassion not regulated and tempered by reason and is, therefore, a
potentially dangerous inclination. This because it is subject to favoring not
only that which is good but also that which is evil.” (Summa Theologica, II-II,
q. 30, a.1, ad 3)
They
also need to refer to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
2239 It
is the duty of citizens to contribute along with the civil
authorities to the good of society in a spirit of truth,
justice, solidarity, and freedom. The love and service of one's
country follow from the duty of gratitude and belong to the order
of charity. Submission to legitimate authorities and service of the common good
require citizens to fulfill their roles in the life of the political community.
2240 Submission to authority and
co-responsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory to pay taxes,
to exercise the right to vote, and to defend one's country:
2245 The Church, because of her commission and
competence, is not to be confused in any way with the political community. She
is both the sign and the safeguard of the transcendent character of the human
person. "The Church respects and encourages the political freedom and responsibility
of the citizen."
