Bishops address immigration reform, migrant labor

Bishops in Florida and Indiana issued pastoral letters on migrant workers and immigration reform in mid-January.

Indiana's bishops said that the Gospel admonition to "to welcome others as Christ himself" includes support for comprehensive immigration reform measures, such as legislation that provides "earned legalization for undocumented persons," a temporary worker program and reduced waiting times for the reunification of immigrant families.

They asked state legislators to allow "driver's permits for undocumented immigrants who must drive to work in order to feed and clothe their families; driver's permits needed for securing automobile license and insurance; a broader process for immigrants to obtain legal documents for ownership of property beyond the Bureau of Motor Vehicles."

They urged lawmakers to provide "access to health care and education for immigrant children, and equal access to protective and emergency services for immigrants."

The letter, published Jan. 12 in English and Spanish, is titled "I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me: Meeting Christ in New Neighbors."

Meanwhile, Bishop John J. Nevins of Venice, Fla., wrote that helping to improve the lives of migrant farm workers remains "one of the major opportunities and challenges" facing Florida Catholics.

Migrant workers "look to us with eyes of hope for the benefits of decent and just wages, safe and reasonably priced housing and health care for themselves and their family members," Nevins said in a Jan. 14 pastoral letter titled "Always Remember the Farmworkers."

"We encourage all people to work in partnership with farm worker organizations and farm workers in their quest for fair wages, safe working conditions and dignity," he said.

The bishop issued the letter while visiting Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Immokalee, a region that has been the focus of a major effort to improve farm worker wages and labor conditions, led by the 2,500-member Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

--Catholic News Service

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