THOUGHTS ON IMMIGRATION

 

THOUGHTS ON IMMIGRATION

In Matthew 20 Jesus gives the parable of the owner of a vineyard who went into the marketplace and hired workers at different hours of the day; at daybreak, at 9 a.m., at noon, at 3 p.m. and at 5 p.m.   At the end of the work day he had his foreman pay each worker, beginning with those who were hired last.  The last ones were paid the same amount as those who worked longer in the vineyard.  As you might imagine, there was some grumbling:  “These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day’s burden and the heat.” 

We feel sympathy for those who worked longer.  Nevertheless, the landowner was not unjust.  He responded, “My friend, I am not cheating you.  Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?  Take what is yours and go.  What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?  Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?  Are you envious because I am generous?”

Jesus finishes by saying, “Thus, the last will be first and the first will be last.”  The Jewish people had a long history with God, but now the Gentiles as well as the Jews will be equally welcome into the kingdom.  Those who go into God’s vineyard to work, at whatever time of the day, at whatever time in their lives, will receive the same reward.  Along the same lines, think of the criminal who hung on a cross next to Jesus.  After a life of crime he turned at the last moment to Jesus and, gulping for breath, asked that he remember him when he comes into his kingdom.  Jesus responded, “Today, you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). 

I would like to consider the immigration crisis in light of this parable.  Americans are proud to have built a prosperous nation.  Our ancestors sacrificed, worked hard, fought, and died in wars, and left us free and prosperous.  The poor of foreign nations are now flocking into our country, hoping to share in what has been accomplished here.  Do we have a right to be resentful?

There are many complicated practical and moral issues to consider.  The wave of undocumented individuals crossing the border is bad for our national security and the safety of communities.  The troubling decline of respect for law in our society will only be accelerated by the presence of so many living outside the law; it is not good for them, or for the state.  Local governments are strained beyond their limits as they seek to provide basic necessities for the newcomers, who have nothing.  Many illegal immigrants suffer as indentured servants to the cartels that smuggled them.  Children and young women are often abused during their arduous journey from home.  The wilderness and the river are dangerous and claim lives.  Meanwhile, due to the chaos at the border, fentanyl and other illegal drugs pour across and damage our young people. 

With the bishops of the United States I believe that it is a moral imperative to establish a more viable alternative for welcoming newcomers to our country.  There is too much suffering because both political parties for decades have not had the courage, tenacity, or wisdom to work together and make federal immigration law more humane and responsive to needs.  Should Americans be resentful of immigration?  No, but we cannot accept the current reality.  We need law and order to be a prosperous society.  We also must not hoard what we have, as if it were not by the hand of Providence.  We ought to welcome those who come late to the vineyard and invite them to join us in its cultivation.  But let’s make it so that they can come here legally and in numbers that do not overwhelm our resources.

America prospered in large measure because our ancestors worked hard and committed themselves to the good of their communities and their adopted country.  I believe that the same blessing will be ours if we firmly set about the task of reforming immigration law to make it more just and reasonable, and if we adopt a spirit of generosity that has been historically characteristic of the American people.