We are to love and minister to one another as if we were ministering to ourselves (from the Bible and the Catechism). That is why I say that the Church should shelter them, feed them, educate them and then encourage them to go back to strengthen their own country and the Church in Mexico.
What I didn't write (because it was late and I was angry) was that Mexico's immigration laws and enforcement are far harsher than ours--yet nary a peep from the Church. Are we to have the only borders in the world not worthy of defense?
Perhaps it’s the fact that you’re angry that makes the letter seem more hostile than the words truly are.
In no way am I suggesting that these people are not guilty of transgressing our law. By no means. They have certainly broken the law by circumventing the naturalization process. I'm saying that, by turning around and displacing twelve million people - many with children who are natural citizens of this country - we are breaking a much higher law that commands us to be compassionate to the poor, merciful to the stranger in our midst, and mindful that every person is imbued with the kind of dignity that can only come from God, and thus, should never be taken away.
If anyone on this site thinks I haven't agonized over my outrage at the blatant skirting of our laws versus the command of Christ to love others as the Father has loved me, they would be greatly mistaken. I don't believe in liberation theology. I don't believe this can be categorized as a question of liberation theology. This is about millions of innocent children who either stand to be separated from their families, or illegally compelled to accept deportation. This is about human decency. We live in, BY FAR (excuse the caps), the most blessed and smiled upon nation in the history of the world. God has blessed us with an abundance that is unprecedented. Are we really going to say "f' you" to all of these people now that we've absorbed them into our society? Are we really going to say to God, be merciful to us while we're deporting innocent children back to that squalorus, corrupt nation?
We shouldn't be worried about what will befall our great nation by letting these people stay. If God is truly Lord of the universe, we will be blessed a hundredfold for our compassion. Anyone who thinks otherswise doesn't understand God's mercy.
As for the borders, I'm not against using whatever measures are necessary to keep people from coming in. Walls, soldiers, whatever it takes. That's our right.