At freedom ride's end, bishop calls U.S. immigration system 'immoral'

Published: 2003-10-09

NEW YORK (CNS) -- Bishop Nicholas A. DiMarzio of Brooklyn called the nation's current immigration system "immoral" in an address Oct. 4 to tens of thousands of people at a rally held in New York City to mark the end of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride. "We must let people come out of the shadows. We must let them participate in this great nation which is ours," said Bishop DiMarzio, who was installed to head the Brooklyn Diocese the day before. The bishop is a member of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Migration and a former committee chairman. "The reality is that our current immigration system is immoral, and while many condemn the presence of undocumented in our land, as a nation, we take their hard labor, we take their contributions to our economy and their cultural and spiritual energy that energizes us, and yet we do not give them justice," he said. "We need to see that no immigrant is ridiculed, exploited or abused." The rally was the culmination of cross-country bus rides that began Sept. 23 from 10 different cities. About 900 people were on the buses and, as they crossed the country, they stopped in towns along the way to rally support for changes in immigration law.

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