The Obama administration announced yesterday that it will do a case-by-case review of those illegal immigrants pending deportation, allowing those without a criminal record, those brought in the US as children and military veterans to stay in the US and possibly apply for work permits.
As you can imagine, this has been welcomed with much joy by the Hispanic community. It is a step towards recognizing the difference between immigrants who are here to work honestly and those who are here to make trouble.
During the last two months, I have written one or two letters per week to judges on behalf of parishioners who have been jailed for minor infractions (busted tail light, not turning lights on 30 minutes before nightfall, driving with a suspended license) and are left in prison waiting for the federal government (immigration) to make a decision on their case.
Since virtually none of them (my parishioners) have a criminal record, the federal government is uninterested in their cases, so they are left in limbo. They remain imprisoned for weeks while things are settled, a fine is paid and they are released. The result is great stress placed on the family, in particular children who miss their father or mother. Parish leaders, lectors, ushers, and faithful Mass attending parishioners have not been immune to this experience. Many are afraid, but their determination to continue with God’s help is inspiring.
My hope is that this change of policy is a first step to meaningful immigration reform as the US Bishops have advocated for some time. For articles and information on the Bishop’s stance and work on immigration, look at this website.
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