Migration and Immigration

The Migration Phenomenon and US Political Context

The Jesuit Response

Justice for Immigrants: A Journey of Hope Campaign

In the current era of globalization, migration (defined as the movement of peoples across national border) has increased with cheaper transportation and changing national economies.  According to the UN, nearly 191 million people (3% of the world’s population) migrated in 2005; 154 million of those chose to move voluntarily.  Migration is especially pronounced between the US and Mexico, as the two countries experience the greatest wealth disparity of any two contiguous countries in the world.  Moreover, the impact of the free movement of goods and services across the southern US border since NAFTA’s promulgation in 1994 has galvanized movement of labor as well. 

The US immigration system has yet to account for these economic and technological changes; in fact, legislators on both sides of the political aisle agree that the US immigration system is broken.  In a country that relies on 400,000-500,000 workers crossing our border annually and has not experienced an unemployment rate higher than 6% since 1994, we offer only 5,000 permanent low-skilled visas and 66,000 agricultural visas annually.  This bureaucratic failure, along with the long waits for family-based visas, has created a humanitarian disaster on the US’ southern border, where more than 3,000 people have died trying to cross the desert in intolerable heat since 1998. 

Since the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, border security has become a top priority for the US government. Fear of more attacks has provoked xenophobic voices in our country, despite the presence of millions of contributing migrants throughout all 50 states and our immigrant history.  The resultant restrictions and delays in immigration procedures has put refugees in precarious situations.  For more on refugees, please visit the website of Jesuit Refugee Services: www.jrsusa.org.

Recognizing the immigration difficulties in the US, President Bush made immigration reform a top priority in both 2001 and 2005.  The 109th Congress saw a harsh bill in the House of Representatives which called for criminalization of the nearly 12 million undocumented immigrants, and restrictions of due process that would have returned many refugees to the countries from which they flee.  The Senate responded more hospitably with a bill providing a path to legalization to nearly all of the undocumented workers and increased family and employment-based visas.  The stalemate resulted in the passing of an expensive but largely symbolic border security fence running 700 miles along the southern US border. 

For more information on the Church and Immigration, please see our Winter 2006-2007 issue of In All Things on immigration.

As servants of Christ’s mission to protect the most vulnerable among us, and guided by Catholic Social Teaching, the Jesuit Conference has joined the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in calling for comprehensive immigration reform, one that would avoid militarization of the border, and instead

•    provide a path to legalization for the undocumented;
•    provide a path to legal work for future immigrants (by increasing the number of employment visas available); 
•    expedite family reunification (by increasing the number of family-based visas available);
•    restoring due process rights (important for the protection of refugees and others);
•    focus on the development of migration sending countries.

These policy recommendations are consistent with Catholic Social Teaching’s call for dignified treatment of migrants.  The Jesuit Conference’s “Immigrants Human Rights” initiative of the mid-1990s likewise was framed by Catholic Social Teaching in an effort to implement John Paul II’s Ecclesia In America.  The Jesuit Conference joined the USCCB and 16 other Catholic organizations in launching the Justice for Immigrants Campaign in May 2005. Building on the joint pastoral letter on migration issued by US and Mexican Bishops in 2003, the campaign emphasizes Catholic Social Teaching. The Jesuit understanding of appropriate accompaniment to migrants is explained in our publication The Lifeboat and the Banquet.  To understand more fully the Church’s position and learn about the role of the Society of Jesus and the USCCB in advocating for immigration reform, please see the Blueprint Journal for Social Justice, Nov. 2005.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform, the USCCB and the Society of Jesus: Voices for the Voiceless

The Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform: "Justice for Immigrants: A Journey of Hope," provides comprehensive recommendations for US immigration law reform and public education about migration. Launched by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Jesuit Conference, and 16 other organizations, the objectives of the campaign include 1) educating the public about immigration, particularly Catholic Social Teaching; 2) building political will for immigration reform; 3) enacting legislative and administrative reforms; and 4) organizing networks that enable immigrants to attain benefits afforded by the reforms. The campaign aims to galvanize Catholics across the country towards action.  For more information, please link to the Justice for Immigrants campaign website: www.justiceforimmigrants.org.

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