Justice and Mercy on The Southern Border...and elsewhere

"The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 19:34

"Love the sojourner therefore; for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt."

With regard to the subject of Illegal Immigration, and with particular regard to the present crisis on our southern border, I offer the following:

 I will never refer to the children (illegally crossing over) as "illegal children," nor as "illegals."

 In conscience, I can call them "illegal immigrants," or "illegal immigrant children," but I cannot use terminology that imputes an illegal "state of being" to a child or other person. Conservatives are often, rightly, reminding us that "words have meaning," and this case is no different.

I am neither a tea partier, nor a committed republican.  As a student of the writings of G.K. Chesterton, I have serious difficulties with both conservatism and liberalism -- actually with all isms, other than Catholicism.

Chesterton, accurately I believe, charged that it is the job of liberals to continue making mistakes, while the job of conservatives is to steadfastly prevent previous mistakes from being corrected.  One can see this in play throughout our history, especially over the past 4 or 5 presidential administrations.  

I am a Catholic before and above whatever other allegiances I have.  Thus, should it come to a "choice" between my allegiance to the Catholic Church, and my allegiance to a particular political ideology, the Church will always prevail within me.

These full disclosures having been made, here are my thoughts regarding the border crisis.

Our immigration laws are a mess -- and several of them actually conflict with each other.  If we try to absolutely enforce all of them, we would have border patrols snatching illegal immigrants from other border patrols, in order to take the apprehended individuals in opposite directions.  That would make a good scene for a Monty Python movie, but it's not so funny in real life.

Even if we assume, for the sake of discussion, that our immigration laws are fine, uniform, non-conflicting, and totally just (an assumption I am not prepared to make; lacking a complete study and understanding of each of these laws), for the Christian --and most especially the Catholic citizen -- there is always the pairing of Justice and Mercy to be considered.  We can never do the one without the other, without erring.  To give mercy without justice is a disservice to everyone, and the same is true when we apply justice without mercy.

So, the matter is clear as to "what" is required: Justice AND Mercy ~ Mercy AND Justice.  We have this model from God Himself - that is how He deals with us; and remember, EACH of us has sinned, and is deserving of death.

Now, the tricky matter is not the what, rather the how.

Imperfect person, and sinner that I am, I see it this way -- in light of the Teaching of the Church, as I understand it:

1. We have a right to either open or close our borders -- and we must live with the benefits and consequences of either decision.

2. We have a right to regulate who, and how many, enter our country -- and we must live with the benefits and consequences of such regulation.

3. We have a right to enforce just laws - and an obligation to do so in a way that yet respects the inherent dignity of each person.

4. Our enforcement, to be both just AND merciful, must take into account the human condition and situation of those upon/against whom our enforcement is directed. For example: Would we apprehend an armed attacker in the same exact manner as we would a 7 year old, unaccompanied child -- or an 85 year old woman struggling to stand with a walker? Clearly, we would adjust the "pressure" of our actions.

Taking these points into account, and again operating under the assumption that our laws are coherent, consistent, and just, here is what I would DO with regard to the current flow of illegal immigrants over the southern border.

Unaccompanied Children would be given an immediate "urgent needs assessment."  Are they old enough to be "sent back" with any realistic hope of getting home alive?  Are they hungry? Are they clean?  Are they in need of rest?  Are they in need of medical attention (remember the Good Samaritan)? Are they in need of someone to sit down and respond to them as a human being who cares whether they live or die (c.f. Lev 19:34, Deut 10:19)?  

I would suggest such needs be addressed prior to carrying out an orderly, and compassionate procedure to reunite them with their families in their home countries (provided that they are not legitimate "refugees" according to our legal definitions).

These needs do not necessarily have to be addressed entirely at government/taxpayer expense.  Catholic Relief Services would assist, as would similar organizations connected to other religious entities.  Maybe by so doing, Mr. Obama would come to an appreciation of the role of the Church in society.

Adults who cross illegally, should also be given an emergency assessment designed to be sure that they can physically tolerate being sent back -- then, when these immediate/urgent needs are addressed (think religious service agencies again), they should be sent back -- again, unless they qualify as refugees under U.S. law.

Incomplete and imperfect as these are, they are my thoughts -- subject to further study,discernment, and correction in light of our Catholic Faith.