Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/183423
Besides the profound changes that this demographic shift is making in American society, the debate is also being fueled by news coverage of raids on businesses suspected of employing undocumented immigrants. These stories can tempt us to reduce an extremely complex and often tragic situation to a simplistic "us" vs. "them" motif, the "good guys" vs. the "bad guys." We can narrowly brand undocumented immigrants as "lawbreakers" or "illegals," and demand that the full weight of the law be used to keep them out. But if we approach this issue with a Catholic worldview, that is, if we think with the Church and try to see immigrants through the eyes of Christ, then a shift should occur in our minds and hearts. Our challenge as Christians is to remember Jesus' teaching that at the Final Judgment he will separate those who served him from those who did not. "Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me (Mt. 25:3436).'" Furthermore, we must remember that most of us in this country come from families with immigrant roots and that America continues to receive new arrivals every day. The United States admits around 1.1 million people each year as lawful permanent residents.3 This rivals the total number of immigrants permitted by all other nations and states in the world put together. Estimates place the number of immigrants who enter the U.S. unlawfully each year and plan to be permanent or indefinite residents at between 750,000 and 1.5 million. 3 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Computer Linked Application Information System (CLAIMS), Legal Immigrant Data, Fiscal Year 2012. 3