Balancing Safety and Security by Fr. Michael P. Orsi

Balancing Safety and Security with Humaneness and Christian Charity

Fr. Orsi

The raids and deportation efforts against illegal immigrant criminal gangs raise the specter of a nationwide roundup of undocumented foreigners. To some people, these moves by the new Trump Administration are the answer to long held fears of a foreign “invasion”. To others they signify isolationism, cruelty, and a rejection of our history of embracing the many nationality groups that have made America the nation it is.

I don’t think we’re going to see the mass deportations which people either hope for or fear. What we do need to see is a wise approach to immigration reform that balances legitimate safety and security concerns with humaneness and a genuine sense of Christian charity.

The Catholic Church has always held to the biblically inspired tradition of welcoming the stranger. At the same time, our Catechism explicitly states that national and civic authorities have the obligation to protect their citizens and maintain order.

Among the massive wave of immigrants encouraged to rush our border by the Biden Administration are many individuals and organized gangs that pose undeniable threats to safety and order. These dangerous actors must be restrained and removed. We cannot permit other countries to export their most troublesome elements to the United States.

At the same time, we must recognize that newly arrived immigrants — both legal and illegal — have always played a vital role in our economy and national progress. Most people who begin life in a new land start at the bottom of the employment ladder, doing jobs that longer-established workers either don’t want or can’t afford to take.

Look around at our agricultural workers, restaurant and food service employees, maintenance and grounds care providers, and others engaged in basic physical tasks, and you’ll see that this pattern persists. The reality is that if all these workers were suddenly removed, much of society’s most fundamental and essential needs could not be met.

Yet it must be recognized that those who choose to immigrate must accept their responsibilities to the country in which they now live. They are obligated to learn the language, to live within the law, and to accommodate themselves to cultural norms.

And there is the problem.
This influx of foreigners has been huge, rapid, and almost totally uncontrolled. The catch-and-release policy of the Biden Administration has made it impossible to keep track of everyone who was part of the surge. This has been a boon to criminals, and it impeded the assimilation process through which immigrants must pass, and which can take more than a single generation to complete.

Let us pray that Trump’s crackdown on criminal gangs succeeds quickly, so that we can move on to addressing the vast sea of illegals — identifying those who are legitimately entitled to refugee protections and other humane treatment.

And let immigrants recognize that, as the Catechism puts it, they are “obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws, and to assist in carrying civic burdens” (CCC 2241).

Rev. Michael P. Orsi is senior advisor to Action for Life Florida and host of “A Conversation with Father Orsi,” a weekly television series that delves into current events with a focus on sanctity of life issues. His writings appear in numerous publications and online journals.

His TV show episodes can be viewed online at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyFbaLqUwPi08aHtlIR9R0g