Since the governments of Prince William and Loudoun counties last month passed separate resolutions to restrict county services for illegal immigrants and give local police the authority to check immigration status, some of the loudest voices in the debate have been filled with fear and anger.
When the Prince William County Board of Supervisors approved its resolution in early July, the measure’s sponsor, Supervisor John Stirrup, R-Gainesville, called it a “first step towards taking back our community.” Supporters praised the proposal, saying the influx of immigrants — 150 percent increase since 2000, according to census estimates released last week — had led to “economic hardship and lawlessness.”
But the Gospels and the Catholic Church’s social teaching call Christians to be just and merciful toward their fellow human beings made in the image and likeness of God.
“If you’re created in God’s image, your dignity doesn’t get diminished once you cross the border,” said Steve Luteran, diocesan director of Catholic Charities, whose organization has come under fire in recent months for providing basic human necessities to poor immigrants.
In “Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope,” a 2003 pastoral letter issued jointly by the bishops of the United States and Mexico, the bishops reaffirmed long-standing Catholic social principles related to the treatment of migrants, including: that all individuals have a right to work and earn a livable wage; wealthy nations have a right to protect their borders, and a responsibility to help people fleeing poverty and danger; that people who cannot find work in their home country have a right to look elsewhere; and that governments must protect the dignity of migrants.
“Jesus does not say love your neighbor only if he’s white or speaks English or is here legally,” said Father José Eugenio Hoyos, director of the diocesan Spanish apostolate. “Jesus did not include any qualifiers in the Good Samaritan parable.”
Catholic Charities’ Hogar Hispano program provides emergency assistance to the area’s booming immigrant population in the form of food, clothing and shelter. Documented immigrants can also receive help in applying for U.S. citizenship. Luteran said such charitable outreaches shouldn’t be equated with support for illegal immigration. Without documentation, Hogar Hispano can’t help immigrants start down the path toward legal status, but papers aren’t necessary for food, clothing and a roof.
“When people stop giving us money that hurts all the poor people on the street,” Luteran said, noting that Catholic Charities helps a much larger group of people than just immigrants. “If they’re against us feeding a hungry person, then I have serious concerns about where that person is in relation to their faith.”
Father Hoyos said the Christian response to the negatively charged immigration debate should be to become educated about U.S. immigration laws, and to listen to the stories of recent immigrants, many of whom migrated for the same reason as earlier waves of newcomers — a chance at a better life.
In an attempt to educate local Catholics about the issues, Catholic Charities and the diocesan Peace and Justice Commission will host a diocesan-wide conference Sept. 22 at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Falls Church. Retired Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, former archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address.
Through its Justice for Immigrants campaign, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops supported efforts in Congress earlier this year to reform the U.S. immigration system. Specifically, the conference supported proposals to give illegal immigrants the chance to earn legal status by paying a fine, applying for the proper visas, learning English and submitting to extensive background checks.
While the bishops supported the just and humane enforcement of laws governing passage across the country’s borders, they also argued that reform was needed to solve the moral problem of family separation caused by migration.
The new threat from local governments has raised concerns among the immigrant community and those trying to help them that illegal immigrants — many of whom already lack education and a livable wage — will be pushed further into the shadows of society.
“My big concern is it’s going to create a new underground,” Luteran said. “It’s going to create fear. When people see someone from another country, they’re going to wonder if they’re here legally. And the people who are here legally, some of their rights will be violated.”
More than fear and suspicion, what the immigration debate needs is a dose of mercy, Father Hoyos said.
“We are all here together, and when we get to heaven, we’re all in the same basket. We need to start building the kingdom of God here,” he said. “We have another kind of the poorest of the poor — the immigrants. They are human beings. One day Christ will ask us, ‘what have you done?’”

For more information about the diocesan immigration conference, go to www.arlingtondiocese.org/offices/peacejustice. For more information about the USCCB position on immigration reform, go to www.justiceforimmigrants.org.

Stephanie Tracy can be reached at stracy@catholicherald.com.

(c) Copyright 2007 by Arlington Catholic Herald