Mexican bishops express hope, concern with U.S. immigration bill

Published: 2006-03-29

MEXICO CITY (CNS) -- Mexican bishops say they are hopeful about the prospects of a new bill in the U.S. Senate that would allow millions of illegal immigrants to legalize their status, though they worry the bill may be changed to criminalize undocumented workers. "It is a decisive moment for migration legislation," Tijuana Bishop Rafael Romo Munoz said at a March 28 press conference held by the Mexican bishops' conference. The bill could represent "two steps forward and one step back," Bishop Romo said. Of the estimated 11million to 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States, about half, or around 6 million, are Mexicans. The Mexican bishops also called on their own government to pass economic reforms that would create more jobs in Mexico and give workers an incentive not to migrate to the United States.

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