Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options

A three-day conference on issues faced by Catholic advocates of comprehensive immigration reform is scheduled for Jan. 11-13 in Salt Lake City. The conference is sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network. The conference's title, "Immigration—A 50-State Issue: A Focus on State and Local Immigration Initiatives," reflects the USCCB's position that immigration is a federal issue, said Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City. He said the conference is a wonderful opportunity for the diocese. "Anytime anything of that size comes in here, it gives us a platform to once again speak of the important immigration issues to our people," he told the Intermountain Catholic, Salt Lake City's diocesan newspaper. Bishop Wester added that immigration legislation created by state governments tends to create a harsh environment for undocumented people, and the conference can help advocates learn how to help these immigrants. "On a broader scale, it allows us to be part of the solution that we hope will come about once the 2012 elections are over," he said. Immigration must be dealt with on a federal level, said Kevin Appleby, U.S.C.C.B. director of migration policy. "If you have 50 different state policies and untold number of local policies on immigration, you're not going to have an effective system. Instead of putting energy into passing bills that are unconstitutional and build fear in communities, we should put energy into getting our federal delegation to do the right thing and reform the immigration system."

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

The 12 women whose feet were washed by Pope Francis included women from Italy, Bulgaria, Nigeria, Ukraine, Russia, Peru, Venezuela and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
"We, the members of the Society of Jesus, continue to be lifted up in prayer, in lament, in protest at the death and destruction that continue to reign in Gaza and other territories in Israel/Palestine, spilling over into the surrounding countries of the Middle East."
The Society of JesusMarch 28, 2024
A child wounded in an I.D.F. bombardment is brought to Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, on March 25. (AP Photo/Ismael abu dayyah)
While some children have been evacuated from conflict, more than 1.1 million children in Gaza and 3.7 million in Haiti have been left behind to face the rampaging adult world around them.
Kevin ClarkeMarch 28, 2024
Easter will not be postponed this year. It will not wait until the war is over. It is precisely now, in our darkest hour, that resurrection finds us.
Stephanie SaldañaMarch 28, 2024