Understanding the Complexity of Immigration

I came into the thorny topic of immigration almost resentfully, certainly I knew what immigration was, and understood that it was a problem but like many american citizens, I did not want to touch the topic with a ten-foot pole. Especially with our newly elected president and his recently rejected executive order, I found myself wandering further away from the topic as something I could not do anything about. But after studying the topic for the past few weeks in class, I recognize that I must no longer hide from the issue but rather stand with these people and fight for their rights - just like I would for my own fellow citizens. The first of what I’ll call my quote unquote epiphanies is realizing how nondescript and generic the word ‘immigrant’ is in regards to the issue. Especially in today's media, the word immigrant is thrown around like some general name that encompases all types of people coming into our country. Certainly all people coming into the

I recognize now that there are many faces to immigration; that it is not just the bloodied face of a Syrian refugee or an old shopkeeper speaking in broken english - it is many people. In regards to Catholic Social Teaching, I feel that in order to address and fully understand this issue, we as a society first need to recognize the Dignity of the Human Person; that is recognizing these people as human beings - not just quote unquote “illegal aliens”. After we learn this and recognize their hardships, it is then time to take action in providing options for these people, much like we must provide for our poor. For example, not everyone can afford to obtain a green card much less pay $675 to become a naturalized