Immigration issues top concerns at border bishops' meeting

Published: 2008-01-17

LAREDO, Texas (CNS) -- Bishops from adjoining U.S. and Mexican dioceses said the main concern they shared at a Jan. 12 meeting was how immigrants are being treated in both countries. Regardless of their legal status, people who try to cross the border into the United States need to be treated as human beings, said Bishop Patrick J. Zurek. The auxiliary bishop from San Antonio will be installed as bishop of Amarillo, Texas, Feb. 22. The latest in a series of regular cross-border meetings was closed to the media, but several bishops later discussed the general themes of the session with a reporter for the South Texas Catholic, newspaper of the Corpus Christi Diocese. Bishop Zurek said the group met with representatives of various government entities, including the U.S. Border Patrol, the U.S. consulate in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and the general counsel for Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.

Copyright (c) 2008 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 The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in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 .