Notre Dame panelists' views highlight complexities of immigration

Published: 2007-10-11

NOTRE DAME, Ind. (CNS) -- Four leaders with a stake in the ongoing national debate about immigration took to the stage at the University of Notre Dame Oct. 8 and in a two-hour forum gave voice to many of the topic's complexities. The discussion covered labor shortages; families separated by years-long waits for visas; overcrowded schools; deaths in the desert; unreimbursed government expenses; crime rates; changing demographics; language barriers; inadequate employment options at home; and what the Catholic Church teaches about how to respond to those issues. The forum featured Los Angeles Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and Mayor Louis Barletta of Hazleton, Pa. Each described the key immigration issues as they relate to their communities. A webcast of the forum can be viewed online at: http://forum.nd.edu.

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