When it comes to immigration, President Joe Biden should take some advice from the Roman Catholic Church. In short, the Church does not support open borders and offers reasonable guidelines for how a wealthy country should handle foreigners seeking to cross the border — legally or not.
Under Biden, the U.S. border has become a sieve. Millions have flooded in and have since been dispersed throughout the country. Cities such as Portland, Maine, and New York City end up shouldering the burden of this emergency. States such as Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, and Texas are forced to send National Guardsmen to the border to help secure it.
Meanwhile, the federal government remains trillions of dollars in debt, its people are suffering from heavy inflation, and a housing crisis continues practically unabated. Public schools are failing. Opioids are killing thousands every month. These problems and others that plague the United States have existed before Biden’s inauguration. All of them, in one way or another, are exacerbated by mass immigration.
Yet, in spite of the malaise, Democrats and soft Republicans argue that the U.S. has a moral obligation to welcome those who cross the border. They argue it will help us. In fact, Catholic politicians like former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi often cite their faith in God as why the U.S. should welcome in millions — even as millions of Americans struggle.
So what does the Church say? Per the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a book that summarizes Church doctrine, “The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin.”
Just a reminder, here's what the Catholic Church teaches about immigration. She doesn't support open borders:
2241 The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he…
— Tim Meads (@TimMeadsUSA) May 31, 2023
For the reasons listed above, as well as others, it can be argued that “the extent” to which the U.S. is able has already been met. Furthermore, the Church also allows countries to set standards, laws, and regulations regarding immigration.
“Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants’ duties toward their country of adoption,” the Church says.
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What constitutes the “common good?” Well, again, going off the Church, the common good is “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily.”
If allowed, mass legal and illegal immigration can hamper the ability of America’s poorest to “reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily” by driving down wages and driving up other costs.
The Church also has requirements for immigrants who arrive in new countries as well.
“Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws, and to assist in carrying civic burdens,” the Church noted.
So, if your first act is breaking the law by crossing the border illegally — then you are not respecting America’s laws.
Of course, the U.S. has a separation of church and state. Not everything in the Catechism would constitute wise policy-making. Yet on the issue of immigration, it’s right on the money.
Conflating this problem is that many Catholic non-profits and non-governmental organizations are facilitating the illegal crossing. Those groups are often given taxpayer money to do so. As Lora Ries of the Heritage Foundation noted, Congress must cut off that cash flow to help make a dent in illegal immigration. The Biden administration could also stop using these groups to effectively “smuggle illegal aliens the final miles of their journey.”
Unfortunately, there’s about as much of a chance of Biden becoming pro-life as there is Biden suddenly curbing immigration. God help us all.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.