Tag: undocumented

On
Laura Green

We should treat immigrants with dignity and respect

To the editor:

I have seen a poster several different occasions over the years that says “I am a stranger and you welcomed me ­ [signed] Jesus”, where the word stranger is crossed out and replaced by the word “immigrant.” As a Catholic, I strongly believe that this is what my faith calls me to do: ­welcome the stranger, help those in need, and treat all with dignity and respect.

Thus, I am heartbroken to see how our nation has been treating immigrants, more so with the recent ICE arrests here in Wisconsin and the Madison area. According to ICE, only half of those arrested in Wisconsin had a previous criminal conviction. The other half, we are criminalizing simply for being here from another country. This is not acceptable, Christian treatment of our fellow human beings.

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On
Tony Magliano

‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me’

Over 37 years-ago when Annunciation House — a sanctuary and home of hospitality that has served over 100,000 refugees, homeless poor, and undocumented workers — was started in El Paso, Texas, founding director Ruben Garcia and a few friends wanted to place themselves among the poor, to see where the poor would lead them. He said, “They took us to the undocumented — the most vulnerable.”

Garcia explained to me that since the undocumented have no legal status in the United States, they are forced to take undesirable, poorly paid jobs, which offer no benefits. Unlike poor U.S. citizens, undocumented workers and their families cannot receive food stamps, Medicaid, or housing assistance. They are at the lowest rung of American life.

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