Immigration Reform in the USA and Moral Knowledge

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It is often said that the United States of America is a country of immigrants, also referred to as a melting pot. In fact, majority of people today can say that they are children of immigrants. Every year, countless of people arrive from their native land to America, with the hopes of rebuilding a better life and future for themselves and their family. Are they to blame? It is even stated in the national anthem, which is always sung with great pride and passion, “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave”. But how free is this country? Free enough to enter at will? For years, immigration laws have remained a problem in the United States, as the government tries to reform such policies in order to control the growth of the population, especially that of the “undocumented” populace. Although illegal immigrants provide many services needed in this country, they have also created a huge financial burden to American taxpayers in areas such as education, emergency medical care, and welfare costs (Tolle, 2012). In using moral knowledge to analyze and investigate the ethical questions surrounding the issues of immigration, we will look at two different sources: scripture and experience. It is important to comprehend the meaning of scripture as a source of moral knowledge. Understanding scripture involves “acknowledging that the will of God rather than the personal preference determines morality when interpreted properly” (Theo, 2008). When thinking about scripture and immigration, one at first would not associate the two together. Surprisingly, the bible itself has plenty to say about sojourners (Edwards, 2009). Looking at a passage in Leviticus, 19:33-34, it states: “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you sha... ... middle of paper ... ...Country for All An Immigration Manifesto. New York, NY: Vintage Books A Division of Random House, Inc. pg. 53. [print] Ruiz, J.-P. (2011). Readings From the Edges The Bible & People on the Move. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books. Pg. 19 [print] Severson, K. (2011, June 27). Parts of Georgia Immigration Law Blocked. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/28/us/28georgia.html?_r=0 Theo 20605. (2008, February 14). Four Sources of Moral Knowledge [Lecture transcript]. Retrieved April 28, 2014, from Theo 20605 Introduction to Catholic Moral Theology website: http://ocw.nd.edu/theology/introduction-to-catholic-moral-theology/handouts/handout-discernment Tolle, S. (2012, December 8). Immigration Reform [Blog post]. Retrieved from ShelbyTolle website:http://shelbytolle.wordpress.com/2012/12/08/research-essay-immigration-reform/

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