Border To Border One World, One People, One Nation Under God

1. Border To BorderOne World, One People, One Nation Under God Presented by: the Sisters of St. Dominic at Caldwell, NJ and STM Public Discipleship Ministry Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28

2. Inscribed on Lady Liberty’s pedestal are these words by Emma Lazarusfrom her poem “The New Colossus” • Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, • The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, • Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: • I lift my lamp beside the golden door. Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28

3. How Did It Come To This? • Industrial Revolution, along with a rise in agricultural productivity, resulted in unprecedented modern economic growth. • At the same time, both population & per-capita income rose as never before imagined. • Global population rose more than six-fold in just two centuries • World average per-capita income rose even faster by nine-fold between 1820 and 2000 • In today’s rich countries’ economic growth increased by 25-fold during that same period. Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28

4. The Third World vs. First World • Imperial rule left conquered regions at a loss for education, health care, local political leadership or adequate physical infra-structure. • Newly-independent countries in Post WWII made disastrous political choices (socialist economic models or a choice for self-sufficiency supported by inefficient trade barriers). • Many regions now affected by special obstacles & hardships (diseases like malaria, drought-prone climates in areas not suitable for irrigation, extreme isolation in hard-to-reach areas, an absence of energy resources like coal, gas & oil, & other liabilities not experienced here.) Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28

5. Catholic Social Teaching • Life and Dignity of the Human Person • Call to Family, Community and Participation • Rights and Responsibilities • Option for the Poor and Vulnerable • The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers • Solidarity • Care for God’s Creation Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28

6. Some Hard Facts • Immigrants have put $7 billion each year into our Social Security fund which would be denied were they to be deported. • Immigrants spend $450 billion each year in the US. Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28

7. Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism & Illegal Immigration Control Act(HR 4437) passed by House of Reps just 10 days after introduction • Proposes significant changes to US immigration policy • Mandates return to home country to apply for a temp work visa ($2,000/yr fined for not doing so) • Such visa lasts only 2 yrs & does not lead to permanent residency or citizenship • Family members can only visit 30 days per year • For such workers this is a crime & felony – possible jail time & being barred from future legal status in US • Workers (or asylum seekers) would no longer face an immigration judge or adjudicator before deportation • For those helping (church personnel, healthcare workers, lawyers) : Criminal penalties & 5 year prison term Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28

8. The Secure America an Orderly Immigration Act (HR 2330)proposed by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) & Edward Kennedy (D-MA) • Offers alternate, more comprehensive reform with path to legalization • After working 6 yrs illegally, can apply for permanent residency & 5 yrs later, apply for citizenship • Those in foreign lands can be issued work visa, if they have a job offer in US • Eliminates the 480,000 cap for immediate relatives of US citizens for family visas, thus allowing families to reunite Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28

9. SENATE MEMBERS: Frank R Lautenberg (D) One Gateway Center, 23 fl. Newark, NJ 07102 Robert Menendez (D) One Gateway Center, Suite 1100 Newark, NJ 0102 HOUSE MEMBERS: District 11: Rodney P Frelinghuysen (D) 30 Schuyler Place, 2nd Floor Morristown, NJ 07960 NJ Members of Congress Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28

10. Sample Form Letter /Tips for Writing Congress Dear Rep. (or Sen.) __________: • As your constituent, I am writing to urge your support for legislation pertaining to immigration reform, specifically that which takes a just approach (vs. a very restrictive approach) toward those who enter our borders for economic and employment opportunity. • I am aware there are currently several pieces of legislation under consideration. The two which catch my attention most fully are: • The (very restrictive) Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism & Illegal Immigration Control Act (HR4437), passed by the House of Representatives just 10 days after introduction, and • The (more just) Secure America An Orderly Immigration Act (HR2330), proposed by Senators John Mc Cain (R-AZ), and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) • Support of HR2330 is important to me because ………….. • Close your letter with a restatement of your purpose and indicate the response that you expect. Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28

11. What else can WE do? • Share this information with others / Encourage friends, relatives & fellow citizens to also write to their local congressional reps, • Continue to follow the progress of immigration reform in your local newspaper and periodicals, • Host/support a Fair Trade Exchange craft show/event/program • Attend Human Rights Workshop on 3/28/06 at Caldwell College • Participate in /sponsor-a-walker in local Fall 2006 Crop Walk • Donate Phone Cards Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28

12. What else can be done?(federal interventions) Broad legislative/policy initiatives of a long-term nature: • Increase poverty-focused development assistance • Urge smart use of government-held food reserves • Designate at least 10% of our exportable food for concessionary sales or grants to food-short nations. • Congressional support of agricultural development in less developed countries • Debt Cancellation measures for foreign countries least able to repay such obligations Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28

13. One Last Thought….. • And remember, it is said the greatest harm to humanity is when good people do nothing. Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28

14. Reading Resources / Reference Bibliography • “The End Of Poverty”, author, Jeffrey D. Sachs • “How To End Poverty”, Time magazine, 3/14/05 • The Catholic Advocate, 1/11/06 issue, “Catholic Groups to Oppose ‘Punitive’ Immigration Bill” • “Inside America’s Secret Workforce”, Time, 2/6/06 • “How Much Is Enough?”, author Arthur Simon • “Embracing Illegals”, 7/18/05 issue of Time magazine • Opinion, Star-Ledger, “Middle Way on Immigration”, • “Street-Corner Immigration Reform”, NYTimes, 2/25/06 Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28

15. Resources on the Web • US Conference of Catholic Bishops www.usccb.org • USCCB Committee on Migration www.justiceforimmigrants.org • US Conf. of Catholic Bishops Archdiocese of Newark www.rcan.org • House Judiciary http://judiciary.house.gov/ • International Institute of NJ www.IINJ.org • US Congress www.congress.org • Catholic World News www.cwnews.com Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28

16. Notes and Comments • Knowledge is like a garden. • If it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested. (African Proverb) Be generous & you will be prosperous. Help others & you will be helped. / Proverbs 11.28