Does Christian Charity Reach 'illegals'?

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truthquest

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This is something that I have wondered about. The targeting of 'illegal aliens' presents a moral dilemma for Christians because hostility to sojourners runs counter to the teachings of Jesus. What should be the Christian response to this issue? Especially in view of the fact that many of these illegal aliens are christians.

[font="Verdana][size="2"]Does Christian Charity Reach 'Illegals'?​


[font="Verdana][size="3"]By the Rev. Howard Bess
July 20, 2010[/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]Editor’s Note: New Arizona laws cracking down on illegal immigrants present a variety of challenges to the U.S. political system, including the issue of constitutional responsibility for controlling the borders.[/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]However, the targeting of “illegal aliens” confronts Christian churches with their own moral dilemma because hostility to sojourners runs counter to the teachings of Jesus, as Baptist minister Howard Bess argues in this guest essay:[/size][/font]

[font="Georgia]When the early Christians faced the challenge of bowing down to Caesar and obeying the Roman government or living by the teachings of Jesus, they followed the teachings of Jesus, becoming a persecuted people. Many lost their lives because of their commitment to their Christ
[/font]

[color="#000000"][font="Geneva][size="4"]This Christian defiance of rulers and governments – when those temporal powers impose laws that violate Christ’s teachings – has been repeated in generation after generation with the latest challenge now taking place in Arizona. [/size][/font][/color]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]The state of Arizona has passed harsh anti-illegal-immigration laws, including one that requires police to demand a person’s legal papers if there’s reason to believe the person is in the United States illegally. The state government hopes these laws will stem the flow of illegal Mexican immigrants across the Mexico-Arizona border.[/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]Though the Arizona “legal papers” law can be criticized for fostering racial profiling and illegal searches, the growing demand to target “illegal aliens” represent another kind of challenge to Christians.[/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]Christian churches in Arizona of every kind – Roman Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Pentecostal, liberal and conservative – offer services to people in need and seldom ask about immigration status. Typically, the churches provide services with a full knowledge that some recipients are in the U.S. illegally. [/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]As Christians, we are not and can never be an arm of the law. In offering help to people, I would never ask about a person’s legal status. Further, if a government agency asked me to report people who are undocumented, I would deny the request.[/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]Christian ministry to the newly arrived in Arizona is huge and involves thousands of helper/Christian people. Aiding and abetting law-breakers easily becomes a part of our Christian responsibility. [/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]Jim Wallis, editor of Sojourners magazine asks a serious and well-informed question: “Is Christian ministry illegal in Arizona?”[/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]Offering shelter and meeting the needs of the sojourners of the world is a fundamental part of the Bible’s teaching. Many American churches regularly offer their buildings as a safe haven for people being pursued by law enforcement officials. [/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]When we Christians offer services and shelter to undocumented immigrants, we are acting out our best selves.[/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]Inspirations[/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]Over the years I have accumulated models for my life practices as a Christian pastor. One is Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the young German theologian of the World War II era who had the opportunity to remain in the United States where he had been a guest professor at an American seminary. [/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]Instead, Bonhoeffer chose to return to Germany, where he became part of the resistance to Adolf Hitler, organizing and operating an underground theological seminary. Eventually, he became a party to an unsuccessful plot to kill Hitler and was hanged.[/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]Bonhoeffer had been dead for a few years when I encountered him through his classic book, The Cost of Discipleship. It remains a staple in my library and a prod every time I think that my commitment to Jesus can be compromised.[/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]My American model is Martin Luther King Jr., another law breaker, indeed a persistent law breaker, who spent significant time in prison. Each January in celebration of King’s birthday, I reread his profound “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in which he sets a standard for all American Christians and for Christian ministers in particular.[/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]King said, “An unjust law is no law at all!” After being released from jail, he kept on breaking unjust laws as was his Christian duty.[/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]My understanding of Jesus is that he, too, was a practitioner of civil disobedience. The stories that he told and the sayings that he left behind inform us of just how radical his social and religious beliefs were.[/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]Jesus's activities reinforced what he taught. They were tangible indicators of his deeply held convictions.[/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]His so-called triumphal entry into Jerusalem was a carefully crafted protest that mocked and ridiculed the ruling powers. The mayhem that he created at the Jerusalem temple was a display of how adamant he was in resisting the religious leaders of his day.[/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]It is worth noting that my great heroes all suffered untimely deaths because their pursuit of truth and justice ranked very high with them.[/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]The harsh anti-immigration law enacted in Arizona is our own critical political issue. The law’s constitutionality will soon be tested in our courts. The controversy also may bring pressure on the U.S. Congress to revise/reform the national immigration laws.[/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]But more is needed from Christians. In the face of what is developing in Arizona, the question becomes: Will Christians act like followers of Jesus and make room for persecuted strangers?[/size][/font]

[font="Geneva][size="4"]http://www.consortiu...10/072010b.html[/size][/font]

[/size][/font]
 
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This is something that I have wondered about. The targeting of 'illegal aliens' presents a moral dilemma for Christians because hostility to sojourners runs counter to the teachings of Jesus. What should be the Christian response to this issue? Especially in view of the fact that many of these illegal aliens are christians.

[font="Verdana][size="2"]Does Christian Charity Reach 'Illegals'?​


[/size][/font]


Your argument is entirely bogus.

First, you justify compassion toward illegal aliens by supposing that some of them are Christians. A supposition that is entirely conjecture.

May I remind you as well as the casual reader here, that the FIRST ACT of those who trespass upon American soil is to break the law.

You quoted Jesus when he talked about paying taxes. "Render unto Caesar", you said. Yet you continued with your line and argued that the violation of Customs law is approved by Christian sentiment.

Nothing could be further from the truth or more lacking in logical application.


How does one render obediance to the law and break it at the same time? Compassion for our poor neighbors to the south? Fine and good. Open a mission on the Mexican side of the border if you feel so inclined. Such a place would provide help to those in need and not violate any law.

The second act performed by these illegals is to require state resources for their families, when they have paid no taxes to support the government infrastructure.
Fee for service is an accepted axiom of economics. If you feel its ok to give away community money to these illegals, then go and empty your own account, passing your own money out on the border as they come across. Leave the account of others alone.

The third act performed by these illegal aliens is to demonstrate and retain allegiance to their own country, Mexico. We see Mexican flags all over the country. There is no respect or gratitude in their hearts toward those whose land they have violated with their presence and their demands.

Now you may argue that none of these things serve to provide charity toward those who are unfortunate. Again this is a false argument.
Do you not remember the North American Free Trade Agreement of 1994? This was supposed to be an international agreement which gave economic benefit to Mexico at the expense of American jobs and industry. We tried it and it didn't work. The illegals are still pouring across our borders.

The fourth act performed by these illegals is to cause Americans who would otherwise gladly support our soverignty to become traitors to their own country and people. Such persons now provide sympathy and comfort to criminals in the name of Christ instead of sympathy and support to the state of Arizona which is trying desparatly to provide peace and safety for their law-abiding CITIZENS. It is their just and moral obligation under any standard you wish to employ, unless of course you hold no compassion whatsoever to our own citizens, their property, their safety, their children, and their rights.

How about a little sympathy for THE LAW and for the citizens of the Great State of Arizona?
How about rightly divining the Word of God instead of using it for propaganda to justify international crime, disrespect, and sedition?​
 

truthquest

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[font="Arial][size="2"]
Violence is not up on Arizona border

Mexico crime flares, but here, only flickers
[font="Arial]by [b]Dennis Wagner[/b] - May. 2, 2010 12:00 AM[/font][/size][/font]
[font="Arial][size="2"][font="Arial][font="Arial]The Arizona Republic[/font][/font]

[font="Arial][font="Arial]NOGALES, Ariz. - Assistant Police Chief Roy Bermudez shakes his head and smiles when he hears politicians and pundits declaring that Mexican cartel violence is overrunning his Arizona border town.[/font]

[font="Arial]"We have not, thank God, witnessed any spillover violence from Mexico," Bermudez says emphatically. "You can look at the crime stats. I think Nogales, Arizona, is one of the safest places to live in all of America."[/font]

[font="Arial][font="Helvetica][size="4"]FBI Uniform Crime Reports and statistics provided by police agencies, in fact, show that the crime rates in Nogales, Douglas, Yuma and other Arizona border towns have remained essentially flat for the past decade, even as drug-related violence has spiraled out of control on the other side of the international line. Statewide, rates of violent crime also are down.[/size][/font][/font][font="Arial]While smugglers have become more aggressive in their encounters with authorities, as evidenced by the shooting of a Pinal County deputy on Friday, allegedly by illegal-immigrant drug runners, they do not routinely target residents of border towns.[/font]

[font="Arial]In 2000, there were 23 rapes, robberies and murders in Nogales, Ariz. Last year, despite nearly a decade of population growth, there were 19 such crimes. Aggravated assaults dropped by one-third. No one has been murdered in two years.[/font]

[font="Arial]Bermudez said people unfamiliar with the border may be confused because Nogales, Sonora, has become notorious for kidnappings, shootouts and beheadings. With 500 Border Patrol agents and countless other law officers swarming the Arizona side, he said, smugglers pass through as quickly and furtively as possible.[/font]

[font="Arial]"Everywhere you turn, there's some kind of law enforcement looking at you," Bermudez said. "Per capita, we probably have the highest amount of any city in the United States."[/font]

[font="Arial]In Yuma, police spokesman Sgt. Clint Norred said he cannot recall any significant cartel violence in the past several years. Departmental crime records show the amount of bloodshed has remained stable despite a substantial population increase.[/font]

[font="Arial]"It almost seems like Yuma is more of an entryway" for smugglers rather than a combat zone, he said.[/font]

[font="Arial][/font][b]Perceptions vs. reality[/b]
[font="Arial][/font]
[font="Arial]Since the murder of Cochise County rancher Robert Krentz by a suspected illegal immigrant in March, politicians and the national press have fanned a perception that the border is inundated with bloodshed and that it's escalating.[/font]

[font="Arial]In a speech on the Senate floor last week, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., declared that the failure to secure that border between Arizona and Mexico "has led to violence - the worst I have ever seen."[/font]

[font="Arial]He reiterated that Saturday after speaking at the West Valley Military Family Day event in Glendale, saying the concern that drug violence could spill across the border remains intense because Mexico's political situation is volatile.[/font]

[font="Arial]"The violence is on the increase," McCain told [i]The Arizona Republic[/i]. "The president of Mexico has said that it's a struggle for the existence of the government of Mexico."[/font]

[font="Arial]Congressional members, including Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and John Shadegg, R-Ariz., sent President Barack Obama a letter asking that National Guard soldiers be sent to the border because "violence in the vicinity of the U.S. Mexico border continues to increase at an alarming rate."[/font]

[font="Arial]And last month, as she signed Arizona's tough new law cracking down on illegal immigrants, Gov. Jan Brewer also called for National Guard troops. The law makes it a state crime to be in Arizona illegally and requires authorities to check documents of people they reasonably suspect to be illegal. Brewer said she signed it to solve what she said is an Arizona "crisis" caused by "border-related violence and crime due to illegal immigration."[/font]

[font="Arial]Clarence Dupnik, the sheriff of Pima County, said there always has been crime associated with smuggling in southern Arizona, but today's rhetoric does not seem to jibe with reality.[/font]

[font="Arial]"This is a media-created event," Dupnik said. "I hear politicians on TV saying the border has gotten worse. Well, the fact of the matter is that the border has never been more secure."[/font]

[font="Arial]Even Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever, among the most strident critics of federal enforcement, concedes that notions of cartel mayhem are exaggerated. "We're not seeing the multiple killings, beheadings and shootouts that are going on on the other side," he said.[/font]

[font="Arial]In fact, according to the Border Patrol, Krentz is the only American murdered by a suspected illegal immigrant in at least a decade within the agency's Tucson sector, the busiest smuggling route among the Border Patrol's nine coverage regions along the U.S.-Mexican border.[/font]

[font="Arial]Still, Dever said, the slaying proved useful to southern Arizonans who are sick of smugglers and immigrants tramping through their lands.[/font]

[font="Arial]"The interest just elevated. And we keep the pressure on because next week something else is going to happen, and the window of opportunity will close," Dever said.[/font]

[font="Arial]Cochise County's crime rate has been "flat" for at least 10 years, the sheriff added. Even in 2000, when record numbers of undocumented immigrants were detained in the area, just 4 percent of the area's violent crimes were committed by illegal aliens.[/font]

[font="Arial]Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villasenor said his town suffers from home invasions and kidnappings involving marijuana smugglers who are undoubtedly tied to Mexican organizations. However, he added, most of those committing the rip-offs are American citizens.[/font]

[font="Arial]"I think the border-influenced violence is getting worse," Villasenor said. "But is it a spillover of Mexican cartel members? No, I don't buy that."[/font]

[font="Arial][/font][b]More help on the border[/b]
[font="Arial][/font]
[font="Arial]While the nation's illegal-immigrant population doubled from 1994 to 2004, according to federal records, the violent-crime rate declined 35 percent.[/font]

[font="Arial]More recently, Arizona's violent-crime rate dropped from 512 incidents per 100,000 residents in 2005 to 447 incidents in 2008, the most recent year for which data is available.[/font]

[font="Arial]In testimony to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security last month, Dennis Burke, U.S. attorney for Arizona, noted that Arizona now has more than 6,000 federal law-enforcement agents, with the majority of them employed by the Border Patrol. That represents nearly 10 agents for every mile of international line between Arizona and Sonora.[/font]

[font="Arial]Border Patrol presence has been backed by increases in counter-smuggling technology and intelligence, the establishment of permanent highway checkpoints and a dramatic increase in customs inspectors at U.S. ports.[/font]

[font="Arial]"The border is as secure now as it has ever been," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told a Senate panel last week.[/font]

[font="Arial]Given that level of security, Bermudez and others say, it is no wonder that cartel operatives pass through border communities as quickly as possible, avoiding conflicts and attention.[/font]

[font="Arial]In fact, violent-crime data suggest that violence from Mexico leapfrogs the border to smuggling hubs and destinations, where cartel members do take part in murders, home invasions and kidnappings.[/font]

[font="Arial]In Phoenix and Tucson, cartel-related violence is hardly new.[/font]

[font="Arial]In 1996, for example, Valley law-enforcement agents estimated that 40 percent of all homicides in Maricopa County were a result of conflicts involving Mexican narcotics organizations, mostly from Sinaloa state. A decade later, the Attorney General's Office exposed a $2 billion human-smuggling business based in metro Phoenix, where criminals often assaulted illegal aliens while holding them for payment of smuggling fees. More recently, cartel-related home invasions and abductions put Phoenix among the world leaders in kidnappings.[/font]

[font="Arial][/font][b]'A third country'[/b]
[font="Arial][/font]
[font="Arial]During a national border security expo in Phoenix last week, David Aguilar, acting deputy commissioner for Customs and Border Protection, said policy makers and the public need to understand that the border is not a fence or a line in the dirt but a broad and complex corridor.[/font]

[font="Arial]"It is," Aguilar explained, "a third country that joins Mexico and the United States."[/font]

[font="Arial]He emphasized that the cartels operate throughout Mexico and the United States, and he noted that those who think of border security in terms of a "juridical line" really don't understand the dynamics.[/font]

[font="Arial]Aguilar said that Juarez, Mexico, is widely regarded as the "deadliest city in the world" because of an estimated 5,000 murders in recent years. Yet right across the border, El Paso, Texas, is listed among the safest towns in America.[/font]

[font="Arial]A review of the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports suggests that Arizona's border towns share El Paso's good fortune. Douglas and Nogales are about the same size as Florence but have significantly lower violent-crime rates. Likewise, Yuma has a population greater than Avondale's but a lower rate of violent offenses.[/font]

[font="Arial]In Nogales, Ariz., residents seem bemused and annoyed by their town's perilous reputation. Yes, they sometimes hear the gunfire across the border. No, they don't feel safe visiting the sister city across the line. But with cops and federal agents everywhere, they see no danger on their streets.[/font]

[font="Arial]"There's no violence here," said Francisco Hernandez, 31, who works in a sign shop and lives on a ranch along the border. "It doesn't drain over, like people are saying."[/font]

[font="Arial]Leo Federico, 61, a retired teacher, said he has been amazed to hear members of Congress call for National Guard troops in the area.[/font]

[font="Arial][color="#8b0000"]"That's politics,"[/color] he said, shrugging. "It's all about votes. . . . We have plenty of law enforcement."[/font]

[/font][/size][/font]
[font="Arial][size="3"]http://www.azcentral...nce-mexico.html[/size][/font]
 

Surf Rider

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Do we help the murderer to commit murder, or to escape from the law that seeks to impose justice upon the murderer? That, in and of itself, is a crime. And rightly so.

Do we help the adulterer to commit adultery? Why then do we dress and add things to our persons so as to be "attractive"?

If they are Christians, then they aught not be breaking the law. It is a flagrant hypocrisy to state that one is a Christian, and yet insist on continually breaking the law. An example of this would be an illegal immigrant that claims to be a Christian. Rather, such who are so naive spiritually that they live in open sin while professing Christ, aught to be chastened by the church. For those who the church loves, it rebukes and disciplines. Rebuke is verbal. Discipline is actionary. To put up with illegal alien Christians is a dichotomy, and it is abiding with sin in our midst and saying that it is of God to do so. Know we not that we are the temple of God, and he who defiles the temple of God, God will destroy? Apparently, we don't know such basic spiritual truths.

Next, to take "advantage" of an illegal situation for the furtherance of the gospel is a total sham. We are in essence doing what the church was rebuked for in the start of Romans. "you who say, 'do not steal', do you rob temples?...." If, if fact, you do lead an illegal alien to the Lord, that person would be very soon convictec by the Spirit of God for breaking the law, and knowing so. The only way that they could then be in harmony and fellowship with the pure and holy Spirit, would be to rectify the situation. That leaves two options: either immediately inform the authorities of their illegal status and apply for admission via humanitarian parole or other avenues; or to immediately leave the country. Then they could legally apply for admission into the country. If they are denied, they are living in their native land, and available for use by God in a far more capable way than some inept gringo stumbling around trying to evangelize their fellow countrymen.

Are we to sin in order that grace abound? GOD FORBID! My brethren, these things aught not be so!

No matter how you cut the cake, it is illegal for them to be here. Hence, it is illegal for us to aide and abet them in their illegality. Even a child understands this, but we seem to be too wise and spiritual to do so.

Is it any wonder that the North American church is the laughing stock of the world? NO!!! We are shameful hypocrites, and quite obviously so. And the good apples in the church are tainted and branded along with the bad apples that everyone must deal with. Indeed, the name of Christ is blashpemed because of those who are so ignorant and sinful themselves, even as they espouse Christ and knowing the mind of God while breaking the laws of the land.

There are indeed wolves in our midst, subverting many by the docrines which are contrarty to the express and simple scriptures and laws of the land.

We are indeed to be pitited above all peoples.
 

truthquest

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5 Myths about immigration
[font="Arial]
[b][size="2"]Network News[/size][/b]
[font="arial][size="3"][font="arial][size="3"]By Doris MeissnerSunday, May 2, 2010[/font]http://altfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/ck/14302-93014-2151-0?mpt=6599181[/size][/font]
[/size][/font]
Despite the fact that we are a nation of immigrants -- or perhaps because of it -- immigration continues to be one of America's most contentious topics. The new law in Arizona authorizing police to arrest individuals who cannot show documents proving that they are in the country legally has set off a fresh bout of acrimony. But as in the past, much of the debate is founded on mythology.

[font="Arial][size="2"]1. Immigrants take jobs from American workers.[/size][/font]

Although immigrants account for 12.5 percent of the U.S. population, they make up about 15 percent of the workforce. They are overrepresented among workers largely because the rest of our population is aging: Immigrants and their children have accounted for 58 percent of U.S. population growth since 1980. This probably won't change anytime soon. Low U.S. fertility rates and the upcoming retirement of the baby boomers mean that immigration is likely to be the only source of growth in what we call the "prime age" workforce -- workers ages 25 to 55 -- in the decades ahead. As record numbers of retirees begin drawing Social Security checks, younger immigrant workers will be paying taxes, somewhat easing the financial pressures on the system.

Moreover, immigrants tend to be concentrated in high- and low-skilled occupations that complement -- rather than compete with -- jobs held by native workers. And the foreign-born workers who fill lower-paying jobs are typically first-hired/first-fired employees, allowing employers to expand and contract their workforces rapidly. As a result, immigrants experience higher employment than natives during booms -- but they suffer higher job losses during downturns, including the current one.

It's true that an influx of new workers pushes wages down, but immigration also stimulates growth by creating new consumers, entrepreneurs and investors. As a result of this growth, economists estimate that wages for the vast majority of American workers are slightly higher than they would be without immigration. U.S. workers without a high school degree experience wage declines as a result of competition from immigrants, but these losses are modest, at just over 1 percent. Economists also estimate that for each job an immigrant fills, an additional job is created.

[font="Arial][color="#000000"]2. Immigration is at an all-time high, and most new immigrants came illegally. [/color][/font]

The historic high came more than a century ago, in 1890, when immigrants made up 14.8 percent of our population. Today, about two-thirds of immigrants are here legally, either as naturalized citizens or as lawful permanent residents, more commonly known as "green card" holders. And of the approximately 10.8 million immigrants who are in the country illegally, about 40 percent arrived legally but overstayed their visas.

It's worth noting that although the unauthorized immigrant population includes more people from Mexico than from any other country, Mexicans are also the largest group of lawful immigrants. As for the flow of illegal immigrants, apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico border have declined by more than 50 percent over the past four years, while increases in the size of the illegal population, which had been growing by about 500,000 a year for more than a decade, have stopped. This decline is largely due to the recession, but stepped-up border enforcement is playing a part.

[font="Arial][color="#000000"]3. Today's immigrants are not integrating into American life like past waves did. [/color][/font]

The integration of immigrants remains a hallmark of America's vitality as a society and a source of admiration abroad, as it has been throughout our history. Although some people complain that today's immigrants are not integrating into U.S. society as quickly as previous newcomers did, the same charge was leveled at virtually every past wave of immigrants, including the large numbers of Germans, Irish and Italians who arrived in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Today, as before, immigrant integration takes a generation or two. Learning English is one key driver of this process; the education and upward mobility of immigrants' children is the other. On the first count, today's immigrants consistently seek English instruction in such large numbers that adult-education programs cannot meet the demand, especially in places such as California. On the second count, the No Child Left Behind Act has played a critical role in helping educate immigrant children because it holds schools newly accountable for teaching them English.

However, the unauthorized status of millions of foreign-born immigrants can slow integration in crucial ways. For example, illegal immigrants are ineligible for in-state tuition at most public colleges and universities, putting higher education effectively out of their reach. And laws prohibiting unauthorized immigrants from getting driver's licenses or various professional credentials can leave them stuck in jobs with a high density of other immigrants and unable to advance.

[font="Arial][color="#000000"]4. Cracking down on illegal border crossings will make us safer. [/color][/font]

The job of protecting the nation's borders is immense, encompassing nearly 7,500 miles of land borders, 12,380 miles of coastline and a vast network of sea ports, international airports, ports of entry along the Mexican and Canadian borders and visa-issuing consulates abroad.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, we have dramatically strengthened our borders through the use of biometrics at ports of entry, secure cargo-shipment systems, intelligence gathering, integrated databases and increased international cooperation. The Border Patrol has nearly doubled in size in the past five years, to more than 20,000 agents. The Department of Homeland Security says it is on schedule to meet congressional mandates for southwestern border enforcement, including fence-building. And cooperation with the Mexican government has improved significantly.

Still, our southwest border is more a classic law enforcement challenge than a front line in the war on terrorism. Antiterrorism measures rely heavily on intelligence gathering and clandestine efforts that are unrelated to border enforcement.

The seasoned enforcement officials I have spoken with all contend that if we provided enough visas to meet the economy's demand for workers, border agents would be freed to focus on protecting the nation from truly dangerous individuals and activities, such as drug-trafficking, smuggling and cartel violence.

[font="Arial][color="#000000"]5. Immigration reform cannot happen in an election year. [/color][/font]

The politics of immigration can be explosive and can chase lawmakers away, especially as elections near, with the result that Congress infrequently and reluctantly updates immigration laws. However, all the significant immigration bills enacted in recent decades were passed in election years, often at the last minute and after fractious debates.

This list dates back to the Refugee Act of 1980, which established our system for humanitarian protection and refugee and asylum admissions. Next came the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which made it illegal to hire unauthorized immigrants and provided amnesty for 2.7 million illegal immigrants. The Immigration Act of 1990 increased the number of visas allotted to highly skilled workers. And the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act charged immigration agencies with implementing significant new law enforcement mandates.

Legislative attempts to make urgently needed changes fizzled in the House in 2005 and in the Senate in 2006 and 2007, and the to-do list for this Congress is substantial. But ruling out immigration reform, whether because Congress has other priorities or because it's an election year, would be a mistake. The outline for immigration legislation that Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and his Democratic colleagues unveiled last week, together with the uproar over the Arizona law, may help convince lawmakers that there's no time like the present.

http://www.washingto...0043001106.html
 

Paul

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Are we talking about Immigrants or illegal Immigrants? Many in this country came as Immigrants but the came the correct way, they didn’t sneak across the boarder. They learned the language of our country they didn’t sponge off the country.
 

JarBreaker

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[font="Arial][size="2"][font="arial][size="3"][font="arial][size="3"] [/font][/size][/size][/font][/size][/font] [font="Arial][color="#000000"]3. Today's immigrants are not integrating into American life like past waves did. [/color][/font]

Wrong!

In and around the beginning of this century, immigrants integrated TOO MUCH, often totally eliminating any sense of their own heritage by the 2nd generation born in the US.


Sorry if this seems racist but there were not whole sections of town that you could enter and not expect to be able to converse with anyone .... when your local garage adds "MECHANICO" to his sign (actually saw this the other day) then people who are already in an area are accommodating those new arrivals.
 

truthquest

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New National Poll: People of Faith Support Immigration Reform,
Approve of Clergy Speaking Out
Large Majorities of Major Religious Groups Support Opportunity for Citizenship

A new survey by Public Religion Research Institute finds broad support across religious groups for a comprehensive approach to immigration reform and strong approval for clergy speaking out on the issue.

As immigration reform efforts resume around the country, the survey provides timely data about American attitudes on the issue and the influence of religion and values. The nationwide telephone survey of 1,201 Americans (1,047 voters), along with two state surveys of Ohio (n=402) and Arkansas (n=402) residents,was conducted March 5–11, 2010. The study was sponsored by the Ford Foundation.

“By a 2-to-1 margin, Americans strongly support a comprehensive approach to immigration reform, and they want a solution that reflects strongly held values,” said Dr. Robert P. Jones, CEO of Public Religion Research Institute. “More than 8-in-10 Americans—including overwhelming majorities of white mainline Protestants, Catholics, and white evangelicals—believe strongly that immigration reform should be guided by the values of protecting the dignity of every person and keeping families together as well as by such values as promoting national security and ensuring fairness to taxpayers.”

The survey identified a significant partisan values gap related to immigration policy. There is general among Democrats, Independents, and Republicans on values such as promoting national security, securing the border, and ensuring fairness to taxpayers. On the other hand, Democrats rated cultural-religious values—such as protecting the dignity of every person, keeping families together, the Golden Rule, and the biblical value of welcoming the stranger—higher than Republicans by double digits.

Jones also said the survey refutes recent claims that religious leaders’ support for comprehensive immigration reform does not reflect the values of people in the pews. Nearly nine-in-ten Americans and respondents in every major religious tradition—including white evangelicals, white mainline Protestants, and Catholics—favor a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, one of the key provisions of a comprehensive approach to reform. And by a two-to-one margin, Americans overall and from across the religious landscape favor a comprehensive approach over more limited approaches focused on enforcement alone.

“On this issue, the public is out ahead of the politicians,” said Rev. Rich Nathan, pastor of the 10,000- member Vineyard Church in Columbus, Ohio. “Our politicians need to exert some focused leadership; they’ll find they have the support if they exert that leadership.”

“These findings highlight the importance of the religious community, which shares a common set of values on this issue,” said Katie Paris of Faith in Public Life, one of several leaders from the religious community who commented on the survey findings. “The faith community is uniquely positioned to break down partisan barriers on immigration reform by emphasizing these shared values. This is critical in the weeks and months ahead as we work to fix our broken immigration system with support from both political parties.”

Additionally, the survey shows that Americans who attend religious services regularly are comfortable with clergy speaking out about the issue of immigration. The survey found that while only about one-fourth of regular worship attenders report hearing about immigration reform at their place of worship, strong majorities would be comfortable hearing their clergy address the issue in church venues such as from the pulpit, as well as in public venues such as community meetings and the media.

http://www.publicrel...ase%20FINAL.pdf
 

Paul

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Wrong!

In and around the beginning of this century, immigrants integrated TOO MUCH, often totally eliminating any sense of their own heritage by the 2nd generation born in the US.


Sorry if this seems racist but there were not whole sections of town that you could enter and not expect to be able to converse with anyone .... when your local garage adds "MECHANICO" to his sign (actually saw this the other day) then people who are already in an area are accommodating those new arrivals.

Your double negative in the both sentences make it hard to figure out what you are trying to say.
 

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Choir Loft
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Wrong!

In and around the beginning of this century, immigrants integrated TOO MUCH, often totally eliminating any sense of their own heritage by the 2nd generation born in the US.


Sorry if this seems racist but there were not whole sections of town that you could enter and not expect to be able to converse with anyone .... when your local garage adds "MECHANICO" to his sign (actually saw this the other day) then people who are already in an area are accommodating those new arrivals.

Your statement about immigrants at the turn of the century is correct. Entirely and completely correct.
My grandparents were part of the wave of humanity from central Europe that hit American shores in those days.
Legally, I may add.

That they integrated too much is an understatement. My uncle wanted to go so far as to change our family name completely so as to be fully Americanized. They and others like them were actually GRATEFUL and HONORED to become law abiding Americans. They were all Christians in my family and felt that God had given them a singular priviledge in allowing them safe passage to this new land. They were eager and happy to shed their old ways and to integrate with American culture.

To be an American within the borders of the United States was once thought to be something of great blessing.

The Mexican/Latino people have a rich culture which most everyone welcomes. I know I do.

However there are notable exceptions such as their drug trafficking, arrogance, disrespect for the law, disrespect for American culture as well as an attitude of entitlement. These things have soured their welcome here. It has come to the point that they are now considered to be something more than unwanted guests.

They are invaders and should be treated as such.
 
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JarBreaker

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Many did change or alter/westernize their names, to avoid varying racism or prejudice and make it easier to obtain jobs ... I guess it was a misplaced desire to shelter their children and keep them from suffering such that they never educated them or shared details of their heritage.

It was orchestrated by those behind the NWO even then ... ostracize people for their sense of heritage and eliminate any national pride. Take pride in being part of the "great melting pot" instead ... never imagining where it was leading the thoughts of people a hundred years later.

Although it will work for the good of uncovering individual identity as growing awareness that we are largely the lost and scattered House of Israel.
 

truthquest

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A different perspective
Immigration Check Point

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gkBP2RCbo4
 

truthquest

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We don’t ask people for their documents to come hear about Jesus.

Ariz. Pastor's Worry: Criminalization of Ministry Work
By Michelle A. Vu|Christian Post Reporter

A Phoenix-based youth pastor is worried that his ministry could face legal troubles under Arizona’s new immigration law.

“We don’t ask people for their documents to come hear about Jesus,” said Ian Danley, youth pastor at Neighborhood Ministries, during a conference call with immigration reform advocates Wednesday afternoon.

The evangelical pastor said regular ministry work, such as driving teens to worship events, could be “criminalized” under the new Arizona law if a church worker knowingly transports youths who are illegally residing in the United States.

“The local community here feels under attack,” Danley said. “Recent high school graduates in my youth group are looking at what should be a bright future with little hope.”

Danley was among a group of Christian leaders, businessman, researcher, and policy experts that spoke during the Conservatives for Comprehensive Immigration Reform conference call. The leaders updated participants on how the Arizona immigration law has affected local residents and the national public opinion about comprehensive immigration reform, and how members of Congress feel about taking up the issue.

In April, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed SB1070 – an immigration bill seeking the toughest laws against illegal immigrants in the nation.

Under the legislation, immigrants in Arizona are required to carry their alien registration documents at all times or face possible arrest. State police are given the power to interrogate, arrest and charge people suspected of illegally entering the country. And people are prohibited from knowingly transporting illegal immigrants.

Christian groups and leaders across the political and theological spectrum have strongly denounced the new Arizona law.

Earlier in May, conservative evangelical leaders – including Southern Baptist leader Richard Land, National Association of Evangelicals president Leith Anderson, and Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver – endorsed an ad published in “Roll Call” urging Congress to pass immigration reform.

Faith communities throughout the nation – soon after Arizona passed its new immigration law – held prayer vigils to call on Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

Presently, as many as 17 states are considering to pass Arizona-type immigration law.

“We sympathize with so many who are frustrated in Arizona. But the solution is not piecemeal enforcement that targets Latino,” said the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. “We need a better solution to make us all safe.”

To Republican lawmakers, Rodriguez said true conservatism is not preserving the white majority but propagating the ideas of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

According to a recent national survey by Public Religion Research Institute, 56 percent of the American public oppose efforts to deport illegal immigrants back to their home countries. The survey also found that three-quarters of Americans agree that, given the opportunity, illegal immigrants would work hard to earn a chance at citizenship.

Ariz. Pastor's Worry: Criminalization of Ministry Work | Christianpost.com
 

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[font="Geneva][size="4"]Editor’s Note: New Arizona laws cracking down on illegal immigrants present a variety of challenges to the U.S. political system, including the issue of constitutional responsibility for controlling the borders.


[/size][/font]


Mr. Obama has chosen to demonize the Great State of Arizona so as to gather Hispanic votes. It's just that simple.

It is insidious, it violates the mandate of the US Constitution and it is racism for political advantage.

"There is no such thing as a black racist."
-Jesse Jackson
 

tooldtocare

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There are thousands of children being held in tent camps along the Texas/Mexico border. A spokesperson said that it will be almost impossible to unite these kids with their parents.

How expensive would it be to get the DNA from these children and then match it with mothers and fathers who claim their child had been detained by border police?

:)-
 

Enoch111

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This is something that I have wondered about. The targeting of 'illegal aliens' presents a moral dilemma for Christians because hostility to sojourners runs counter to the teachings of Jesus. What should be the Christian response to this issue? Especially in view of the fact that many of these illegal aliens are christians.
Why don't you look at it like this. Try barging into a country which requires a visa WHICH YOU REFUSED TO OBTAIN because you believe that you have a right to violate any country's borders.

Do you know where you would end up? Try it while trying to enter China, Iran, or Saudi Arabia, or even Israel, or any other country. You would be spending quite some time in prison.

Every illegal alien or migrant invader is essentially breaking the law. If things were as they should be, each one would be arrested immediately and shipped back to their country of origin. And because America failed to apply its own immigration laws, illegals now believe they have the right to crash the border whenever and wherever they choose, and be coddled for that.
 
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CoreIssue

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First of all, illegals do not meet the definition of sojourners. Sojourners just keep moving around they don't land anywhere.

The Bible says to obey the law. Illegals are breaking the law.

You cannot quote just numbers to say the crime impact of illegals. An example, said town has a population of 10,000 with 100 crimes committed the year by the legal population.

Enter 50 illegals. 25 of them commit crimes. 25 is far less than 100 by strict numbers, but by percentage 50% is much higher than 1%.

Dissing better research, diseases that have been stopped in the US are now reappearing due to the illegals.

I hope you understand the Democrats are not soft on illegals out of morality or compassion. They want them to illegally vote for them.

And I hope you realize Mexico has much tougher laws on illegals than the United States.

California is bankrupt mainly do to the cost of illegals.

So before you get all mushy about it stop and think.

So yes there is a moral issue. But it is those condoning crime and not those who want the crime stopped.

Talk to the people who have loved ones killed by illegals. How many such murders are acceptable? I say none.
 
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