What are the biggest problems the Church in the United States has with the proposals put forward?
Bishop Barnes: The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation this past December which the bishops have forcefully rejected. Among its ill-advised provisions, it would for the first time in our nation’s history make felons out of immigrants who are in the country without proper authority. Likewise, it would make it a felony to “assist” an undocumented alien, putting at risk members of the Catholic Church who assist immigrants every day, but do so now without regard of their immigration status. Perhaps the most unfortunate aspect of this piece of legislation is that we do not believe it will fix the ills of our current immigration system. If that bill were to become law and in a couple of years we continue to see a growing population entering the country illegally, the frustration level among Americans may well reach a breaking point and the backlash against immigrants, whether here legally or not, may become grave. On May 25, the U.S. Senate passed its version of immigration refo
