ESTABLISHING IMMIGRANT SANCTUARY CITIES IS WRONG

According to a report on the Metro & State section of the Miami Herald of October 19, a group called American Fraternity wants Miami-Dade County to become an official “immigrant sanctuary.” An immigrant sanctuary city or county prohibits local police from questioning the immigration status of suspects, or reporting them to Immigration and Customs enforcement officials.

A March 24, 2006 report by Hector Carreon, writing for La Voz de Aztlan, informs us of the addition of another city to the list of immigrant sanctuaries across the country. The city council of Coachella, a city 125 miles east of Los Angeles, passed a resolution protecting undocumented immigrants from harassment by local police. According to the report, Coachella Mayor Jesse Villareal told illegal immigrants the city’s police force is not to act as border patrol officers or turn them in to Immigration.

It sounds to me like “Don’t worry, be happy!” not the kind of message public officials should be sending to people who break our federal laws. I suspect the city council dared pass the resolution, because they did not fear a backlash from the area residents. Carreon puts Coachella’s Hispanic population at 97%, so Anglos and other groups only amount to 3%. Yet, I am surprised a good number of Hispanics who are American citizens did not raise hell. Where does their loyalty lie, in the United States of America or in Mexico?

Carreon cites the rapid expansion of the “Immigrant Sanctuary Movement.” According to him, the cities of Maywood, Los Angeles, Huntington Park, Pomona and San Francisco have already passed rulings that protect illegal immigrants from the reach of our federal laws. The Herald piece adds Cambridge, Massachusetts and Takoma Park, Maryland to the list. As far as I am concerned, one city on the list is one too many. What are they trying to do, secede from the Union? Who do they think they are these councilpersons, kings and queens of their own little kingdom?

An interesting piece of news in Carreon’s report is the support of the movement by some clergy in the Catholic Church. Los Angeles Cardinal Rogelio Mahony supposedly backs giving sanctuary to illegal immigrants100 percent. He is willing to have priests disobey parts of the law in order to help undocumented people in need. How do you like that? Okay, the Cardinal should do what his conscience and his religion tells him to do. The same goes for his crew, the priests under his direction. At the same time, since we have separation of church and state, the District Attorney and the judicial system should do what the law requires. If the Cardinal and his people break the law, prosecute them.

The Catholic Church should be as brave and vociferous in Cuba. Over there, they do not dare. On the contrary, they are very compliant with the communist government’s laws and regulations. They even say a mass and pray for the healthy recovery of the conscienceless tyrant ruling that country for the past 47 years. Maybe we should send Cardinal Rogelio Mahony and his crew down there.

Establishing immigrant sanctuary cities or counties is wrong. The United States has an incontrovertible right to protect its borders and control immigration. Those who come here should do so legally. I favor President Bush’s proposal for a guest worker program, as long as we can ensure those people leave the U.S. when their permits expire. Other than that, we cannot bow to the unreasonable demands of those who think illegal immigrants have some God-given right to trespass into and stay in our territory. U.S. citizens and residents have the duty to obey U.S. laws. Those who do not should suffer the consequences, whether it is profit or humanitarian reasons what motivates them to break our laws.

Recommended Reading: Ercian Testament - Part III, chapter 26 “Matters of Concern.”