“Illegals” are not “Immorals” - A Persistent Immigration Fallacy

[Quiddity]

Whenever the USCCB dares to advocate policies which provide for easier immigration and naturalization (e.g., here), a few of our readers shout an argument which I devoutly hope never again to hear from anyone claiming to be Catholic: “We don’t owe illegals anything!”

Many Americans, especially conservative Americans, tend to be selective legalists. Despite their recognition of the falsity of some anti-life laws, they hold that the law confirms a sort of territorial moral exclusivity on citizens. This is one of many values which can arise from being culture bound. It typically creates a huge blind spot on immigration.

There are two false assumptions here. First, there is the assumption that those who have come earlier rather than later to a particular region, and have established a government over the region, and have developed a kind of society in that region, somehow have an exclusive claim to that region as their own. This is typically applied self-servingly; it is rarely upheld for peoples who may have occupied a territory prior to “us”. But in any case, the idea that one group of people can morally set a broad region to be off limits to other groups of people is absurd.

“Illegals” are not “Immorals”: A Persistent Immigration Fallacy - Catholic Culture

Worthy reading.

 

[ZooGirl02]

I am friends with some conservative Catholics on Facebook and unfortunately there are strongly against "illegals". Personally I think that term is rather derogatory and prefer to call them "undocumented immigrants."

I am very much a conservative Catholic myself but I also have some more moderate views. Like for example I am for gun control and for immigration reform. You won't find those positions among some conservative Catholics.