“A Stranger and You Welcomed Me” (Mt. 25:35) – Part 3 of 4

Having been blessed to visit the Holy Land with my classmates in May of 2009, I recall a bus ride we took into the West Bank to visit the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem.  In joy and awe of this once-in-a-lifetime experience, it was also sad to observe the tall walls that the Israeli government had erected. Though there was separation, I felt secure. But on the other hand, I sensed and saw the division between the Jewish people and the Palestinians.

We have a wall crisis in our own country, particular at the U.S. – Mexican border, and Pope Francis even spoke about the “wall crisis” on his own continent of Europe on his recent plane ride home from Philadelphia to Rome. As he addressed this issue to a group of reporters, he remarked, ”As for the idea of some European nations to start building walls or fences to keep migrants out, Pope Francis said the influx of newcomers needs to be handled intelligently, ‘but walls are not the solution. Erecting walls,’ he said, ‘the problems remain and they remain with increased hatred.’”
(Source: http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2015/pope-says-he-left-us-praying-for-impressed-by-its-people.cfm)

While few of us may have experienced what it is like to be a refugee (a person forced to leave his/her country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster) or an immigrant (a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country), many of our ancestors did. They may have encountered walls of hatred from a new neighbor as they entered either through the walls of Ellis Island in the NewYork – New Jersey harbor, through the U.S. – Mexican border, or perhaps through another stop en route to settling in the U.S.

Previous to his recent trip to the U.S., Pope Francis also said, “migrants and refugees do not only represent a problem to be solved, but are brothers and sisters to be welcomed, respected and loved” (The World Day of Migrants and Refugees, 2014). These migrants and refugees, though initially strangers among us, are to be welcomed as Pope Francis has done on numerous occasions in imitation of Jesus which have become front-page photo ops and headlines. Sometimes we have good questions about these strangers in our midst. However, we know stereotypes exist, and myths can develop in our mind too. What are some of these myths? Here are five that have been explained on a U.S. bishops’ website called http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/myths.shtml .

1. Immigrants don’t pay taxes – FALSE – “Undocumented immigrants pay taxes.  Between one half and three quarters of undocumented immigrants pay state and federal taxes.  They also contribute to Medicare and provide as much as 7 billion dollars a year to the Social Security Fund.  Further still, undocumented workers pay sales taxes where applicable and property taxes—directly if they own and indirectly if they rent.”

2. Immigrants increase crime rate – FALSE – “Research has shown that immigrant communities do not increase the crime rate and that immigrants commit fewer crimes than native born Americans.  While the undocumented immigrant population doubled from 1994 to 2005, violent crime dropped by 34% and property crimes decreased by 32%.  Furthermore, Harvard sociologist Robert Sampson has found that first generation immigrants are 45% less likely to commit violent crimes than Americanized, third generation immigrants.”

3. Immigrants take jobs away from Americans – FALSE – “A study produced by the Pew Hispanic Center reveals that “Rapid increases in the foreign-born population at the state level are not associated with negative effects on the employment of native-born workers.”  In fact, given that the number of native born low wage earners is falling nationally, immigrants are playing an important role in offsetting that decline.  The Urban Institute reports that between 2000 and 2005 the total number of low wage workers declined by approximately 1.8 million while the number of unskilled immigrant workers increased by 620,000, thus offsetting the total decline by about a third.”

4. Immigrants are a drain on the U.S. economy – FALSE – “The immigrant community is not a drain on the U.S. economy but, in fact, proves to be a net benefit.  Research reported by both the CATO Institute and the President’s Council of Economic Advisors reveals that the average immigrant pays a net 80,000 dollars more in taxes than they collect in government services.  For immigrants with college degrees the net fiscal return is $198,000.  Furthermore, the American Farm Bureau asserts that without guest workers the U.S. economy would lose as much as $9 billion a year in agricultural production and 20 percent of current production would go overseas.”

5. Undocumented immigrants are a burden on the healthcare system – FALSE – “Federal, state and local governments spend approximately 1.1 billion dollars annually on healthcare costs for undocumented immigrants, aged 18-64, or approximately $11 in taxes for each U.S. household.  This compares to 88 billion dollars spent on all health care for non-elderly adults in the U.S. in 2000.  Foreign born individuals tend to use fewer health care services because they are relatively healthier than their native born counterparts.  For example, in Los Angeles County, “total medical spending on undocumented immigrants was $887 million in 2000 – 6 percent of total costs, although undocumented immigrants comprise 12 percent of the region’s residents.”

While these myths and more can be mustered up about immigrants and refugees, let us welcome these strangers among us. In his speech to Congress on the topic of immigration and refugees, Pope Francis remarked, “when the stranger in our midst appeals to us, we must not repeat the sins and the errors of the past. We must resolve now to live as nobly and as justly as possible, as we educate new generations not to turn their back on our ‘neighbors’ and everything around us….” May we not turn our backs on these our neighbors but turn around to them with arms wide open as Jesus would. In next week’s article we will take a final look on the immigration-refugee crisis to conclude this four-part series. It will feature a Q & A with the bishops, the government’s role as described by the bishops and a list of resources.

In Jesus Who Welcomes,
Fr. Jeff