[migrawatch-public] Fwd: Bishops Ask Homeland Security, President Bush To Abandon Use Of Worksite Enforcement Raids'

Well, it's something...

> > CONCERNED OVER EFFECTS ON FAMILIES, COMMUNITIES,
> BISHOPS URGE
> > PRESIDENT BUSH, HOMELAND SECURITY TO DROP RAIDS
> >
> > WASHINGTON- Speaking on behalf of the United
> States Conference of
> > Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Bishop John C. Wester,
> chairman of the
> > Bishops’ Committee on Migration, urged the
> Department of Homeland
> > Security (DHS) and President Bush to reexamine the
> use of worksite
> > enforcement raids as an immigration enforcement
> tool.
> > “The humanitarian costs of these raids
> are immeasurable
> > and unacceptable in a civilized society,” Bishop
> Wester said. “While
> > we do not question the right and duty of our
> government to enforce
> > the law, we do question whether worksite
> enforcement raids are the
> > most effective and humane method for performing
> this duty,
> > particularly as they are presently being
> implemented.”
> > The statement, released September 10,
> addresses the
> > increase in worksite enforcement raids across the
> nation over the
> > last year, in which DHS has targeted employers who
> hire unauthorized
> > workers by using force to enter worksites and
> arrest immigrant
> > workers. During the process of these raids, U.S.
> citizen children
> > have been separated from their parents, immigrants
> arrested have not
> > been afforded the rights of due process, and local
> communities,
> > especially relatives including legal permanent
> residents and U.S.
> > citizens, have been left to cope with the
> aftermath.
> > “We have witnessed first-hand the
> suffering of immigrant
> > families and are gravely concerned about the
> collateral human
> > consequences of immigration enforcement raids on
> the family unit,”
> > say the bishops in the statement. “Many families
> never recover;
> > others never reunite.”
> > In the absence of comprehensive reform,
> the U.S. Catholic
> > Bishops have sought to work collaboratively with
> DHS to ensure
> > humanitarian considerations in executing workplace
> raids. The
> > statement calls for refraining from enforcement
> activity in certain
> > areas that provide humanitarian relief such as
> churches, hospitals,
> > community health centers, schools, food banks, and
> other charitable
> > services. It also calls for the release of
> caregivers who have
> > dependents offering a variety of release
> mechanisms available under
> > the law; access to legal representation; respect
> for basic human
> > dignity; and, mechanisms for families to remain
> together and locate
> > each other following an enforcement raid. It also
> states that non-
> > profit and community groups should be engaged in
> this effort.
> > “Absent the effective implementation of
> these safeguards,
> > we believe that these enforcement raids should be
> abandoned,” the
> > statement reads, adding that “[i]mmigration
> enforcement raids
> > demonstrate politically the ability of the
> government to enforce the
> > law. They do little, however, to solve the
> broader challenge of
> > illegal immigration. They also reveal, sadly, the
> failure of a
> > seriously flawed immigration system, which, as we
> have consistently
> > stated, requires comprehensive reform.”
> > The bishops urged the two presidential
> candidates “to
> > engage the issue of immigration in a humane,
> thoughtful, and
> > courageous manner” and to turn away from
> enforcement-only methods.
> >
> > Editors: Bishop Wester and others will be
> available by phone at noon.
> > DIAL-IN: 1-800-910-2586 ACCESS CODE:
> 956727
> >
> > Press conference will be held at 12:00 p.m., at
> the United States
> > Conference of Catholic Bishops,
> > 3211 4th Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20017
> > Room 332
> >
> > Complete text of statement follows.
> >
> >
> > Statement of Most Reverend John C. Wester
> > Bishop of Salt Lake City
> > Chairman, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’
> Committee on Migration
> >
> > On
> >
> > Worksite Enforcement Raids
> >
> > September 10, 2008
> >
> > On behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic
> Bishops (USCCB), I call
> > upon the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and
> President Bush to
> > reexamine the use of worksite enforcement raids as
> an immigration
> > enforcement tool. The humanitarian costs of these
> raids are
> > immeasurable and unacceptable in a civilized
> society.
> >
> > In the absence of comprehensive immigration
> reform, we have sought
> > to work collaboratively with DHS to ensure that
> raids are carried
> > out humanely. It seems to us that DHS has
> attempted to abide by
> > several humanitarian considerations in executing
> some of the
> > workplace raids.
> >
> > However, we believe that DHS has not gone far
> enough to ensure that
> > human rights protections are consistently applied
> in all enforcement
> > actions.
> >
> > For over a year now, DHS has targeted employers
> who hire
> > unauthorized workers by using force to enter
> worksites and arrest
> > immigrant workers. During the process of these
> raids, U.S.-citizen
> > children have been separated from their parents
> for days, if not
> > longer; immigrants arrested have not been afforded
> the rights of due
> > process; and local communities, including legal
> permanent residents
> > and U.S. citizens, have been disrupted and
> dislocated. The sweeping
> > nature of these raids---which often involve
> hundreds of law
> > enforcement personnel with weapons---strike fear
> in immigrant
> > communities and make it difficult for those
> arrested to secure basic
> > due process protections, including legal counsel.
> >
> > We have witnessed first-hand the suffering of
> immigrant families and
> > are gravely concerned about the collateral human
> consequences of
> > immigration enforcement raids on the family unit.
> Many of our local
> > parishes have helped respond to human needs
> generated by these
> > enforcement actions, providing counseling and
> legal services to
> > parents and children and basic needs assistance to
> immigrant
> > communities.
> > Raids strike immigrant communities unexpectedly,
> leaving the
> > affected immigrant families to cope in their
> aftermath. Husbands
> > are separated from their wives, and children are
> separated from
> > their parents. Many families never recover;
> others never reunite.
> >
> > As our government confronts the challenges of
> immigration, let it
> > not forget one of its core duties: protecting the
> family unit as
> > the fundamental institution upon which society and
> government itself
> > depends.
> >
> > While we do not question the right and duty of our
> government to
> > enforce the law, we do question whether worksite
> enforcement raids
> > are the most effective and humane method for
> performing this duty,
> > particularly as they are presently being
> implemented. In this
> > regard, we ask DHS to immediately pledge to take
> the following
> > actions to mitigate the human costs of these
> raids:
> >
> > ● DHS should refrain from enforcement
> activity in certain
> > areas that provide humanitarian relief-churches,
> hospitals,
> > community health centers, schools, food banks, and
> other community-
> > based organizations that provide charitable
> services;
> >
> > ● Primary, not simply sole, caregivers
> should be released
> > following an enforcement action to care for their
> children. A
> > variety of release mechanisms, including parole in
> the public
> > interest, release on recognizance, bail, and
> alternatives to
> > detention should be utilized for this purpose:
> >
> > ● DHS should facilitate access to
> meaningful legal
> > representation for arrested individuals so that
> they are aware of
> > their legal rights and options;
> >
> > ● Enforcement actions should be
> conducted in a manner
> > which preserves basic human dignity: immigrants
> who are working to
> > survive and support their families should not be
> treated like
> > criminals.
> >
> > ● Mechanisms should be instituted to
> allow family members
> > to remain together and to locate each other during
> and following an
> > enforcement action. Non-profit and community
> groups should be
> > engaged in this effort.
> >
> > Absent the effective and immediate implementation
> of these
> > safeguards, we believe that these enforcement
> raids should be
> > abandoned.
> >
> > Immigration enforcement raids demonstrate
> politically the ability of
> > the government to enforce the law. They do
> little, however, to
> > solve the broader challenge of illegal
> immigration. They also
> > reveal, sadly, the failure of a seriously flawed
> immigration system,
> > which, as we have consistently stated, requires
> comprehensive reform.
> >
> > As they begin their general election campaigns, we
> urge the two
> > presidential candidates to engage the issue of
> immigration in a
> > humane, thoughtful, and courageous manner.
> > We urge our elected and appointed officials to
> turn away from
> > enforcement-only methods and direct their energy
> toward the adoption
> > of comprehensive immigration reform legislation.
> >
> >
> > Also attached are copies of oral statements from
> Bishop Wester,
> > Bishop Tamayo, and Don Kerwin.
> >
> > This message was sent from the Office of
> Migration and Refugee
> > Services at the United States Conference of
> Catholic Bishops. For
> > more information about MRS/USCCB, please visit our
> website at www.usccb.org/mrs
> > . If you no longer wish to receive future emails
> from MRS, please
> > email Cindy Phan at cphan@usccb.org. Be sure to
> add “PLEASE REMOVE”
> > to the subject line of your e-mail.
> >
>
>

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