Title: Seitz at the deadly Darien Gap: 'You could see the suffering in their faces'
Source: Florida Catholic Media / OSV News
Link: thefloridacatholic DOT org/news/national/seitz-at-the-deadly-darien-gap-you-could-see-the-suffering-in-their-faces/article_418b7566-655b-11ef-8fde-3367352fb4e1.html
The Money-Quotes:
OSV News: How can the Catholic Church accompany migrants in a way that addresses the trauma that drives them from their homelands and that they suffer during their journey?
Bishop Seitz: That's a very good question. Many migrants have been sexually violated on the way; many of them have been kidnapped and beaten. Even kids are being kidnapped now in Mexico, especially in northern Mexico.
One of the things that we're supporting with the fund that we created in El Paso is to be able to assist with psychological services for those particularly traumatized by their experience. We have set up a medical clinic that features such services.
[…]
Under international law, the principle of non-refoulement protects individuals from being returned to situations where their life or freedom would be endangered. How can the church help to uphold this principle?
To put it in simple terms, I think the church — wherever we are — needs to be the conscience of the community and for the governments of the places where we (as Catholics) dwell.
That means that we have a responsibility to speak prophetically in light of the Gospel about the dignity of the human person, and the responsibility that we have to every human person.
I think we need to continually remind people in power about that. As Catholics, whatever you might think is the best solution for immigration situations, you cannot leave aside that awareness of the fundamental human dignity of a person, and you cannot in conscience send one of these children of God back to a place where they're going to very likely suffer great harm.
Wosbald wrote: ↑01 Sep 2024, 21:04
the deadly Darien Gap
The Embera-Wounaan tribe (19,000 members) of indigenous people on a reservation at the Darien gap are begging for their survival. They can't handle the over-half-million migrants passing through their lands each year. They can't fight the millions of American dollars that Biden/Harris are giving to NGO's to facilitate the migrants.
It's killing their land, their way of life, and endangering their children with drugs and worse.
This reporter believes he is the first member of American government, press, or NGO to speak with the native peoples. Their pleas have been ignored.
As I finally heard them during a first-ever interview with all five Embera tribal chiefs and aired them in the New York Post, they demand that U.S. border policies that set off this vast destructive great migration through their “Comarca” lands, never asking permission nor begging forgiveness, be ended. They also want the United States to help immediately close the Darién Gap at the Panama-Colombia border for the sake of their cultural survival.
The Embera chiefs, including Jose Anilo Barringon, Cirilo Pena, Vianide Cunapa, and Pablo Guainora, described a long litany of environmental poisonings of their village water supplies, harvest theft, and especially of corrupting access to immigrant currency that has diverted an entire generation of Embera youth from their own rich culture to drugs and alcohol. They reserve special ire for the United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that have set up shop all over their reservation with “zero” permission to lure, aid and abet the mass migration. For the millions in cash the United States directs their way.
Hovannes wrote: ↑02 Sep 2024, 12:50
Maybe that's why Biden/Harris resumed their program of flying unvetted migrants directly into the US at taxpayer expense?
I don't have any facts on that. I don't know if the fly-ins are known and vetted persons, or more unknown migrants. I don't know if the fly-ins do anything to reduce the number of walkers through the Darien Gap, or just add more to the total invasion. I don't know if the fly-ins pass through some legal process, or if they just bribe the right NGO grifters.
Biden Admin hasn't told us anything about this program, if it is a program. We're all pretty much in the dark.
Hovannes wrote: ↑02 Sep 2024, 12:50
Maybe that's why Biden/Harris resumed their program of flying unvetted migrants directly into the US at taxpayer expense?
I don't have any facts on that. I don't know if the fly-ins are known and vetted persons, or more unknown migrants. I don't know if the fly-ins do anything to reduce the number of walkers through the Darien Gap, or just add more to the total invasion. I don't know if the fly-ins pass through some legal process, or if they just bribe the right NGO grifters.
Biden Admin hasn't told us anything about this program, if it is a program. We're all pretty much in the dark.
The reason a federal Border Patrol agent offered is that it reduces the human log jam on the Southern border.
Since the flyers come from countries that don't share data with the US, any vetting regarding criminality is not an issue for Scranton Joe, nor apparently, for Catholic theologians other than Aquinas.
Who decides who gets to fly in on the taxpayer's dime instead of braving the Darian Gap is a bit of mystery.
NEW YORK — While the Catholic bishops of Arizona acknowledge the federal government’s failure to effectively manage the U.S–Mexico border, they argue that a state government border security proposal is an inadequate solution that will have “harmful consequences.”
The state’s proposal, Proposition 314 or HCR2060, would in-part make it a crime for noncitizens to enter the state directly from a foreign nation from anywhere other than legal ports of entry. The measure is on the ballot in November, and one poll shows it has overwhelming support from voters.
“We do not question the good intentions of those seeking to address [the challenges at the border]. Nevertheless, we believe that Proposition 314 will have unanticipated consequences, and that is not the right solution,” the Arizona bishops said in a Sept. 4 message. “Although proponents argue that Proposition 314 is about border security, the reality is that its passage will create real fear within Arizona communities that will have harmful consequences.”
The message was signed by Bishop John Dolan and Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Nevares of Phoenix, Bishop Edward Weisenburger of Tucson, and Bishop James Wall of Gallup.
Proposition 314 was cleared for the ballot in July after a superior court judge blocked a lawsuit against it.
[…]
The Arizona bishops argue that by having state and local law enforcement responsible for what should be the role of the federal government “many crime victims and witnesses will be afraid to go to law enforcement and report crimes,” which will leave many criminals free.
They also contend that any state immigration proposals should instead hold the federal government accountable.
“Additionally, immigration by its nature is a national issue and the regulation of immigration extends beyond the purview of individual states, points consistently affirmed by the US Supreme Court,” the Arizona bishops said. “Rather than holding the federal government accountable, Proposition 314 will only create further disorder and confusion, placing unworkable and unrealistic expectations on state judicial officers and law enforcement personnel.”
An August poll from Noble Predictive Insights (NPI) — a Phoenix based, self-described nonpartisan public opinion polling and data analytics firm — found that an overwhelming majority of registered voters in Arizona support Proposition 314.
[…]
While the Arizona bishops lamented Proposition 314, much of their statement focused on the federal government, and its lack of action on border regulations and policy. The bishops said that the federal government needs to both manage the border, and provide comprehensive immigration reform.
“The lack of federal solution to challenges faced by both vulnerable asylum seekers and American communities is sorely needed and long overdue,” the bishops said. “The states and local communities along the border shoulder much of the challenges created by the federal government’s neglect. Its failure to address increased migration in a pragmatic and humane way has led to an ineffective response at the border and an unacceptable number of migrant deaths.”
Arizona immigration proposal ‘harmful,’ state bishops say
While the Catholic bishops of Arizona acknowledge the federal government’s failure to effectively manage the U.S–Mexico border, they argue that a state government border security proposal is an inadequate solution that will have “harmful consequences.”
...
“The lack of federal solution to challenges faced by both vulnerable asylum seekers and American communities is sorely needed and long overdue,” the bishops said. “The states and local communities along the border shoulder much of the challenges created by the federal government’s neglect. Its failure to address increased migration in a pragmatic and humane way has led to an ineffective response at the border and an unacceptable number of migrant deaths.”
So when the next US President grapples with this enduring crisis in a (hopefully) effective way, I don't want to hear any complaining. Effective border policy won't be perfect. It won't please everybody.
Border walls, deportations, migrant camps, "wait in Mexico," military at the border, and the flat refusal to accept any more migrants until the backlog of current migrants are duly processed -- that's all on the table. It's going to feel drastic, after so long neglect. It would have been easier to fix two years ago, even easier to avoid 3-1/2 years ago. But we have to deal with the present situation.
We will save lives, reduce the abuse by the cartels (especially of women), curtail child and sex trafficking, maybe even staunch the fentanyl crisis. It is needed for the common good of citizens and migrants.
LEICESTER, United Kingdom — A new report by Britain’s leading Catholic charity for supporting refugees says the experiences of homelessness among people refused asylum has gotten worse since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Jesuit Refugee Service UK (JRS UK) published Destitute and in Danger: People Made Homeless by the Asylum System on Tuesday.
“Many people who had previously been street homeless or couch-surfing had been housed during the pandemic,” the report notes, but said many faced homelessness again after this support was ended after the pandemic.
JRS UK said most people staying informally in others’ houses lived in uncomfortable, overcrowded, and often dirty conditions.
“Of those neither in Home Office accommodation nor in JRS UK hosting or housing: Half did not sleep in a bed. It was common to sleep on the floor, the sofa, or a chair; parents staying informally with family or friends with their children described sleeping in one room in cramped conditions with their children,” the report says.
It also says conditions in Home Office issued asylum accommodations are “very poor, and often does not feel safe.”
The Catholic charity said recurring themes about Home Office accommodation included overcrowding, with parents and children sharing a room that was their only familial space; lack of privacy, and associated lack of even the most basic freedom; no space to relax other than bedrooms; basic facilities such as washing machines being broken for long periods of time.
The report said living conditions for refugee seekers were often a “volatile situation.”
It said break-ins and thefts were common and contributed to a general climate of fear, adding many people refused asylum, declared appeal rights exhausted, and made destitute are ultimately recognized as refugees after submitting fresh asylum claims.
“That is, presenting new evidence demonstrating that they need asylum,” the report says, noting that in 2023 almost 2,300 people had previously been refused asylum, and told they had no further chance to appeal, were recognized as needing asylum or another form of leave to remain in the UK after submitting a fresh claim.
[…]
The report made several recommendations, the first of which was the British government to stop the “Hostile/Compliant Environment” — issued by the Conservative Government and not ended by the newly elected Labour Government — which makes it more difficult for unregistered immigrants from getting support and jobs in the country.
“The systemic marginalization of people without immigration status is the root cause of asylum destitution. The Hostile, or Compliant, Environment intentionally builds barriers to essential services, bringing immigration enforcement into every sphere of life. It must end,” the document says.
It also calls for an end of the policy that says there is no recourse to public funds and says people refused asylum should be able to access support where they need it.
“Restrictions on access to public funds bar people from basic safety nets on the basis of their immigration status. They are a key tool in manufacturing asylum destitution and should be abolished,” the report says.
Destitute and in Danger also says the ban on work for people seeking asylum consigns them to deep poverty and, when asylum support is cut off, makes them destitute.
“It also marginalizes them and makes it harder for them to take up work when their status is eventually resolved. Most people seeking asylum desperately want the opportunity to work and contribute to society,” the report says.
The report also calls on the government to make a simplified route to settled status for everyone who has made the UK their home and is living here long-term. It adds government also needs to expand the “move-on period” for newly recognized refugees to find housing from 28 days to 56 days, saying the current policy “is simply not enough time to find somewhere else to live, access mainstream support, or find work.”
The report also calls on local UK governments to widen eligibility for homelessness support services to include those without recourse to public funds as far as possible and to ensure robust data protection policies.
Dr. Sophie Cartwright, the author of the report, said the enforced destitution of people refused asylum “is shameful.”
“People who just wanted to be safe are pushed, by government policy, to the very edges of society. They have no safe way to meet their basic needs and no home. They regularly have nowhere they can rest or go just to feel secure. This is not human. It’s not who we are,” she said.
“If any of us were forced to leave our home, we would all want somewhere to be safe. We would all want a chance to rebuild our lives. It’s time to make that happen,” Cartwright added.
Title: Pope: War in Gaza is too much! No steps taken for peace. [also: Abortion, Migration, and US Elections.]
Source: Vatican News
Link: vaticannews DOT va/en/pope/news/2024-09/pope-francis-inflight-press-conference-asia-oceania-visit.html
The Money-Quote:
Anna Matranga (CBS News): Your Holiness, you have always spoken in defence of the dignity of life. In Timor-Leste, which has a high birth rate, you said you felt life pulsing and exploding with so many children. In Singapore, you defended migrant workers. With the US elections coming up, what advice would you give a Catholic voter faced with a candidate who supports ending a pregnancy and another who wants to deport 11 million migrants?
Pope Francis: Both are against life: the one that throws out migrants and the one that kills children. Both are against life. I can’t decide; I’m not American and won’t go to vote there. But let it be clear: denying migrants the ability to work and receive hospitality is a sin, a grave sin. The Old Testament speaks repeatedly of the orphan, the widow, and the stranger — migrants. These are the three that Israel must care for. Failing to care for migrants is a sin, a sin against life and humanity.
I celebrated Mass at the border, near the diocese of El Paso. There were many shoes from migrants, who ended poorly there. Today, there is a flow of migration within Central America, and many times they are treated like slaves because people take advantage of the situation. Migration is a right, and it was already present in Sacred Scripture and in the Old Testament. The stranger, the orphan, and the widow — do not forget this.
Then, abortion. Science says that at one month after conception, all the organs of a human being are present. Everything. Having an abortion is killing a human being. Whether you like the word or not, it’s murder. The Church is not closed-minded because it forbids abortion; the Church forbids abortion because it kills. It is murder; it is murder!
And we need to be clear about this: sending migrants away, not allowing them to grow, not letting them have life is something wrong, it is cruelty. Sending a child away from the womb of the mother is murder because there is life. And we must speak clearly about these things. There are no “buts.” No “but however.” Both things are clear. The orphan, the stranger, and the widow — do not forget this.
In your opinion, Your Holiness, are there circumstances in which it is morally permissible to vote for a candidate who is in favor of abortion?
In political morality, it is generally said that not voting is ugly, it's not good. One must vote. And one must choose the lesser evil. Which is the lesser evil? That lady or that gentleman? I don’t know; each person must think and decide according to their own conscience.
