Bp. Zubik asks area elected officials to reject immigration initiatives

Here is the statement Bp. Zubik released on May 3 regarding the immigration initiatives:

As Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay, I strongly encourage political leaders in the City of Green Bay and in Brown County to vote against any initiative that would require documentation of residency for those seeking business licenses and prohibiting businesses from employing undocumented immigrants.

In our statement, "Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity," the U.S. Catholic Bishops wrote:

"We recognize that nations have the right to control their borders. We also recognize and strongly assert that all human persons, created as they are in the image of God, possess a fundamental dignity that gives rise to a more compelling claim to the conditions worthy of human life. Accordingly, the Church also advocates legalization opportunities for the maximum number of undocumented persons, particularly those who have built equities and otherwise contributed to their communities."

Catholic social teaching holds that, like the right to property, the right to migrate is not unlimited. It may be restricted when other, higher rights are endangered. If the security of a nation is threatened or if the nation does not have sufficient resources to sustain its own inhabitants, it is lawful to halt the flow of immigrants.

Such is not the case here in northeastern Wisconsin. The vast majority of immigrants are not a threat to our security. Rather, they are good people, sensitive people who are trying to make a better life for themselves and for their families. It's the same thing that you want for your own families.

We need to remember that throughout its history, northeastern Wisconsin has welcomed immigrants for the opportunity to improve our farms, meat packing plants, and paper companies. Churches have benefitted from the presence of immigrants. In turn, we as a community have provided them the rich opportunity to improve the standard of living for themselves and their families.

We might also consider that work is more than a way out of poverty. For many immigrants it is a path to citizenship and to making the US their new home. People who do so are not a drain on the community, but a potential civic resource.

While it is paramount that we respect the laws of the land it is equally imperative that we make laws that reflect compassion for the most vulnerable among us. As we assess whether our local ordinances should punish those who hire undocumented immigrants, we should ask: Do the conditions in northeastern Wisconsin truly require us to take on what is currently a federal responsibility?

Therefore, I urge our political leaders to vote against any initiative that would require documentation of residency for those seeking business licenses and prohibiting businesses from employing undocumented immigrants. I believe that we need to open our community to those persons seeking an improved economic status for themselves and their families. We need to do so with compassion and understanding.