http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_3560513
Mahony blasts proposed immigration law By Tracy Garcia Staff Writer
WHITTIER - Local priests in the Los Angeles Archdiocese were called upon Wednesday by Cardinal Roger Mahony to ignore a proposed federal law that would require churches to ask immigrants for residency documents before offering them help.
During an Ash Wednesday Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels, which marked the start of the 40-day season of Lent, Mahony said the church "is not in a position of negotiating the spiritual and the corporal works of mercy.
"We must be able to minister to people, regardless of how they got here," Mahony said.
The controversial immigration bill recently passed by the House of Representatives includes a provision requiring churches and other social organizations to ask immigrants for legal documentation before providing them assistance.
Institutions that fail to comply could be penalized.
A similar proposal is in a bill the Senate Judiciary Committee is set to debate this week.
But Mike Spence, president of the California Republican Assembly and a West Covina Unified School District trustee, said the bill in question would apply only to money that churches or social organizations receive from the federal government.
"Taxpayer money should go to those who are here legally, and not used as a resource to encourage people to break the law," Spence said.
As for Mahony's comments, Spence said they were "fine - and then we should ignore sending him taxpayer money for the services that he provides. He can ignore it but we don't have to give him the money."
Jackie Kolnick, a board member for the Whittier Area Interfaith Council, said the strings associated with federal money is the reason the council doesn't seek those funds.
"I've always felt that the way to overcome government restrictions is to not use their money," said Kolnick, who runs the council's Cold Weather Shelter. "There's just no way we could pay for the extra staff or guards to do that kind of \ screening, so we scrimp and save to get what we have.
"I don't know what the answer to the immigration issue is," she added, "but I think that if you really want to help, you'll find other ways to help."
On Wednesday, Mahony told congregants at the cathedral that the Catholic Church exists to serve people, not the government.
He called on Catholics in the 288-parish archdiocese to commit to immigration reform, "especially in the face of increasing hostility toward immigrants."
"At this particular moment in our history, there seems to be these strident voices that are very much anti-immigrant," he said.
As disciples of Christ, "we are called to attend the last, littlest, lowest and least in society and in the Church."
Mahony has said he supports the immigration goals of the U.S. Catholic Bishops, who advocate a guest-worker program and amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Wire services contributed to this story.
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http://www.presstelegram.com/opinions/ci_3559750
Mahony's law Cardinal's call for disobedience muddies immigration debate
A bill making its way through Congress that would require religious and other social institutions to ask immigrants to show documents that say they are here legally before giving them aid may not be in the spirit of what religious and social organizations are all about, but Cardinal Roger Mahony's call to disobey the law if it passes isn't the right answer, either.
Both the bill and Mahony's overreaction to it are yet more examples of the U.S.'s dysfunctional immigration policy. It's a policy that criminalizes day laborers like the nine who were arrested in the city of Orange last week for soliciting work near a Home Depot store. If the latest immigration bill in Congress were approved, it would also criminalize clergy and others who render aid to the needy if they refuse to act as immigration agents.
Mahony has every right to publicly oppose legislation that runs counter to his religious principles, but telling the priests in his 5 million member Los Angeles Archdiocese to disobey the law if it becomes law doesn't address the real problem with illegal immigration policy. And that's because there is no coherent, sensible policy.
One of the illegals who were arrested in Orange last week points to the fact that he can make $300 a week as a day laborer here, compared with $100 a week in Mexico. The problem with that, of course, is that most of that money is paid under the table. No taxes are paid taxes that help support schools, public safety and health care that illegals use but don't help fund. And, since they are working off the books, they have no protection from employers who abuse or exploit them.
A guest worker program, which Mahony says he supports, in which immigrants are hired for jobs that can't be filled by citizens, would go a long way toward solving the cat-and-mouse game that police and illegals play outside Home Depot and other stores. Under a guest worker program, workers' identities could be checked, providing a safety net for employers.
There's obviously a need for day laborers. Under a sensible guest worker program, they would get the work they want, employers could have access to a steady stream of temporary labor, and, most important, police agencies would know who these people are and whether they are in the country legally. A guest worker program doesn't mean open borders. On the contrary, it would give everyone more control over who comes across the border and what they do when they get here.
We agree with Mahony that turning priests into immigration agents before they dispense communion is a bit harsh, and not in keeping with the concept of charity and human kindness. But telling the priests in the country's largest archdiocese to disobey a law only muddies the issue and does nothing to promote a sensible solution. Mahony is being disingenuous when he tells reporters that the proposed law is also aimed at terrorists who aren't likely to trek 50 miles over a parched desert to get to the U.S. That kind of illegal immigrant isn't likely to need or seek aid. The real issue is illegals from Mexico and other countries who come here seeking work and wind up being arrested for doing so.
Preaching civil disobedience makes for sensational sound bites, but Mahony could have accomplished more by telling lawmakers what he thinks of their bill, and suggesting how the United States can control its borders and the people who cross them illegally.
http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_3560721
Mahony flouts federal proposal Church will not deny illegals help From staff and wire reports
Cardinal Roger Mahony on Wednesday called on priests in the Los Angeles Archdiocese to ignore a proposed federal law that would require churches to ask immigrants for residency documents before administering help. "The church is not in a position of negotiating the spiritual and the corporal works of mercy," Mahony said during a Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels marking the start of the 40-day season of Lent.
"We must be able to minister to people, regardless of how they got here," he said.
In the eyes of God, it would be a crime to turn away someone in need of help based on their immigration status, said Bob McKennon, a volunteer for the East San Gabriel Valley Coalition for the Homeless and a parishioner at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Hacienda Heights.
The coalition operates a winter shelter run by East Valley churches for two weeks at a time. Although the coalition is made up of volunteers from many area churches, the program is not run directly by any church.
McKennon said the shelter, which is funded by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, is not required to verify anyone's legal status in order to help them. He was not sure how the proposed legislation would impact the churches' ability to house the shelter. McKennon added that requiring churches to turn away the undocumented would do little to stem illegal immigration.
"They'll go scrounge in the Dumpsters, or do whatever they have to do to sustain themselves," he said.
Andy Ramirez, of Covina-based Friends of the Border Patrol, said Mahony is crossing the line.
"I completely disagree with the cardinal," Ramirez said. "They're playing politics."
Ramirez said he is considering filing a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service, alleging the archdiocese is "playing politics" and violating its tax exempt status.
Ramirez added Mahony's statements are an effort to recruit more Catholics from the illegal immigrant community for the church's ultimate financial gain.
He also said the cardinal should spend more time advocating for more economic advantages for Mexicans so they wouldn't have to leave their country for a job. Ramirez said the real human rights violations are being committed at the border by smugglers and kidnappers.
Kevin McKee, a spokesman for Rep. Gary Miller, R-Brea, said the church would be assisting criminals if it didn't turn away illegal immigrants seeking aid.
"If you're here in the United States illegally, you shouldn't be here," McKee said. "You've broken the law. We don't want churches helping criminals."
An immigration bill recently passed by the House of Representatives includes a provision requiring churches and other social organizations to ask immigrants for legal documentation before providing them assistance. Institutions that fail to comply could be penalized.
A similar proposal is in a bill the Senate Judiciary Committee is set to debate this week.
Joe Colletti, executive director of the Institute for Urban Research and Development, said any social agency that accepts federal funds already cannot serve illegal immigrants.
Mahony told congregants at the cathedral that the Catholic Church exists to serve people, not the government. He called on Catholics in the 288-parish archdiocese to commit to immigration reform, "especially in the face of increasing hostility toward immigrants."
"At this particular moment in our history, there seems to be these strident voices that are very much anti-immigrant," he said.
As disciples of Christ, "we are called to attend the last, littlest, lowest and least in society and in the church."
Mahony has said he supports the immigration goals of the U.S. Catholic Bishops, which advocates a guest-worker program and amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Mike Spence, president of the California Republican Assembly and a West Covina Unified School District trustee, said: "Taxpayer money should go to those who are here legally, and not used as a resource to encourage people to break the law."
As for Mahony's comments, Spence said they were "fine - and then we should ignore sending him taxpayer money for the services that he provides. He can ignore it but we don't have to give him the money."
Some political leaders praised Mahony's comments, including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who called the federal plan "incredulous."
"I can tell you that the cardinal, I think, is right in saying that the church should not be in the business of enforcing our immigration laws," Villaraigosa said.
Staff writers Jason Kosareff and Tracy Garcia contributed to this City News Service story.