Bishop says House-passed immigration reform bill would hurt nation

Published: 2005-12-19

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Despite a Catholic bishop's warning that the measure would have "serious and severe consequences for immigrants and the nation," the House approved an immigration reform bill Dec. 16 that calls for the building of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border and would make illegal presence in the U.S. a crime, rather than the civil offense it is now. Bishop Gerald R. Barnes of San Bernardino, Calif., chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Migration, had urged rejection of H.R. 4437, the Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, in a Dec. 14 letter to House members. "It is an extremely punitive bill which is far broader than illegal immigration and, if enacted, would unduly harm immigrants and their families, even those who are currently lawful residents," he said. "Moreover, the bishops are deeply disappointed by the bill's enforcement-only focus and absence of reforms in the U.S. legal immigration system that would address our current immigration problems more comprehensively."

Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .