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The Menu “But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:13-14 Newsletter of the UCC Social Justice Team
Chef’s Special:
Issue 5, April 15, 2007
Strangers No Longer
Catholic Social Teaching: The Bishops on Migration What does scripture say? •
•
•
•
•
All persons have the right to find in their own countries the economic, political, and social opportunities to live in dignity and achieve a full life through the use of their Godgiven gifts. In this context, work that provides a just, living wage is a basic human need. The Church recognizes the right of sovereign nations to control their territories but rejects such control when it is exerted merely for the purpose of acquiring additional wealth. More powerful economic nations, which have the ability to protect and feed their residents, have a stronger obligation to accommodate migration flows. The Church recognizes that all goods of the earth belong to all people. When persons cannot find employment in their country of origin to support themselves and their families, they have a right to find work elsewhere in order to survive. Sovereign nations should provide ways to accommodate this right. Those who flee wars and persecution should be protected by the global community. This requires, at a minimum, that migrants have a right to claim refugee status without incarceration and to have their claims fully considered by a competent authority. Regardless of their legal status, migrants, like all persons, possess inherent human dignity which should be respected. Government policies that respect the basic human rights of the undocumented are necessary.
“
When an stranger resides with you in your land, do not molest him. You shall treat the stranger who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; have the same love for him as for yourself; for you too were once strangers in the land of Egypt.
Leviticus 19: 33, 34
”
Source: Excerpts from: Strangers No Longer: Together on a Journey of Hope, A Pastoral Letter Concerning Migration from the Catholic Bishops of Mexico and the United States, www.usccb.org/mrs/stranger.shtml
How can I speak out in solidarity? Support Immigration Reform! One year ago this week, 12,000 Austinites marched to protest legislation that would be harmful to immigrants and immigrant supporters. A solution has still not been enacted, and as the faithful we are called to use our voices to ask justice for immigrants. This is our opportunity, and now is the time to be faithful witnesses. Congress is in the process of considering comprehensive immigration reform legislation. The U.S. Senate is currently considering immigration legislation, and
the House will take up a bill a path to citizenship root causes of migration during the summer months. • A future worker program • Any future worker program Now is the time to (i.e. “temporary” worker must contain worker communicate with legislators program) which includes protections, adequat e about what elements are protections for both U.S. wages, and a path to required in a comprehensive and foreign-born workers citizenship for participants. immigration b i l l . with an option for a path to The U.S. Catholic bishops citizenship Go to http://capwiz.com/ have called for a • Family-based immigration justiceforimmigrants/issues/ comprehensive overhaul of reform which reduces a l e r t / ? the U.S. immigration system which would include the family backlogs and waiting alertid=9348936&type=CO t i m e s f o r f a m i l y to send an email to or call following elements: reunification your legislators. • An earned legalization • The restoration of due program for undocumented process protections for Source: The USCCB website: for immigrants, regardless of immigrants immigration reform nationality, which includes • Policies which address the www.justiceforimmigrants.org
The Menu Newsletter of the UCC Social Justice Team “ B U T W H E N Y O U G I V E A B A N Q U E T , I N V I T E T H E P O O R , T H E C R I P P L E D , T H E L A M E , T H E B L I N D , A N D Y O U W I L L B E B L E S S E D . A L T H O U G H T H E Y C A N N O T R E P A Y Y O U , Y O U W I L L B E R E P A I D A T T H E R E S U R R E C T I O N O F T H E R I G H T E O U S . ” L U K E 1 4 : 1 3 - 1 4
Upcoming Executions by the State of Texas
Apathy or Action: The Struggle for Human Rights Symposium April 16 - 19
A Prayer for Immigrant Justice
The White Rose Society is a UT student organization dedicated to holocaust and genocide awareness and activism. Governor Perry has now In their campaign to end genocide in Darfur they have raised completed 152 executions and donated thousands of dollars, sent thousands of letters to while in office, tying Bush's politicians, raised awareness about genocide issues and previous record. lobbied the Texas Senate to divest from Sudan. The Peaceful vigils are held every symposium events will include a Holocaust and Genocide evening of an execution at the Commemoration, Film Festival, Speaker Series, and a Social Governor's Mansion at 12 & Justice Activism Fair. Visit www.thewhiterosesociety.org for more information. Lavaca, 5:30-6:30 pm.
April 26 Ryan Dixon
Blessed are You, L o r d G o d , King of all creation. Through Your goodness, we live in this land that You have so richly blessed. Help us always to recognize our Blessings come from You and remind us to share them with others, especially those who come Thurs. April 26 7:30 pm John Michael Talbot, Catholic music’s number one recording artist, will play a benefit to us today from other concert for St. Louise House, a transitional living facility for women and children, at St. lands. Help us to be gener ou s , j ust , a n d Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church on 4800 Convict Hill Rd. For more information, welcoming, as You have go to www.stcatherine-austin.org. been and are generous to Source: us. Amen.
Benefit Concert for St. Louise House
Immigration Mythbusting Immigrants don’t pay taxes •Immigrants pay taxes, in the form of income, property, sales, and taxes at the federal and state level. A range of studies find that immigrants pay $90-$140 billion a year in taxes. Undocumented immigrants pay income taxes as well, which grew by $20 billion 1990-1998. Immigrants come here to take welfare •Immigrants come to work and reunite with family. Immigrant labor force participation is consistently higher than native-born and immigrant workers make up a larger share of the U.S. labor force (12.4%) than they do t he U.S. populat ion (11.5%). Moreover, immigrant tax payments total $20-$30 billion more than the government services they use.
Immigrants take jobs • The largest wave of immigration since the early 1900s coincided with our lowest national unemployment rate and fastest economic gr owt h. I mm igr ant entrepreneurs, and foreignborn students allow many U.S. graduate programs to keep their doors open. • The net benefit of immigration to the U.S. is nearly $10 billion annually. 70% of immigrants arrive in prime working age, so we haven’t spent a penny on their education, yet they are transplanted into our workforce and will contribute $500 billion toward our social security system in the next 20 years Most immigrants cross the border illegally • Around 75% of today’s immigrants have legal permanent visas; of the
25% that are undocumented, 40% overstayed temporary visas. Weak U.S. border enforcement has lead to high undocumented immigration • From 1986-1998, the Border Patrol’s budget increased six-fold and the number of agents stationed on our southwest border doubled to 8,500. The Border Patrol also toughened its enforcement strategy, heavily fortifying typical urban entry points and pushing migrants into dangerous desert areas, in hopes of deterring crossings. Instead, the undocumented immigrant population doubled in that timeframe, to 8 million. Insufficient legal avenues for immigrants to enter the U.S. has contributed to this current conundrum.
Source: justiceforimmigrants.org
www.justiceforimmigrants.org
SJ Team Mission statement: The UCC Social Justice Team seeks to connect what we experience at Mass on Sunday to how we live the rest of the week by focusing on the tenets of charity and justice. We serve the common good through works of mercy for the poor and vulnerable and advocate for just social policy.
Like what you see? Want to become a part of it? A small group of students and adults committed to promoting justice around the UCC and the community produces this bi-weekly news let t er , looks for opportunities to do charity and justice, leads workshops and hosts other events. If you would like to help with planning, or would like to submit to the newsletter, email [email protected].
Chef’s Special:
Issue 5, April 15, 2007
Strangers No Longer
Catholic Social Teaching: The Bishops on Migration What does scripture say? •
•
•
•
•
All persons have the right to find in their own countries the economic, political, and social opportunities to live in dignity and achieve a full life through the use of their Godgiven gifts. In this context, work that provides a just, living wage is a basic human need. The Church recognizes the right of sovereign nations to control their territories but rejects such control when it is exerted merely for the purpose of acquiring additional wealth. More powerful economic nations, which have the ability to protect and feed their residents, have a stronger obligation to accommodate migration flows. The Church recognizes that all goods of the earth belong to all people. When persons cannot find employment in their country of origin to support themselves and their families, they have a right to find work elsewhere in order to survive. Sovereign nations should provide ways to accommodate this right. Those who flee wars and persecution should be protected by the global community. This requires, at a minimum, that migrants have a right to claim refugee status without incarceration and to have their claims fully considered by a competent authority. Regardless of their legal status, migrants, like all persons, possess inherent human dignity which should be respected. Government policies that respect the basic human rights of the undocumented are necessary.
“
When an stranger resides with you in your land, do not molest him. You shall treat the stranger who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; have the same love for him as for yourself; for you too were once strangers in the land of Egypt.
Leviticus 19: 33, 34
”
Source: Excerpts from: Strangers No Longer: Together on a Journey of Hope, A Pastoral Letter Concerning Migration from the Catholic Bishops of Mexico and the United States, www.usccb.org/mrs/stranger.shtml
How can I speak out in solidarity? Support Immigration Reform! One year ago this week, 12,000 Austinites marched to protest legislation that would be harmful to immigrants and immigrant supporters. A solution has still not been enacted, and as the faithful we are called to use our voices to ask justice for immigrants. This is our opportunity, and now is the time to be faithful witnesses. Congress is in the process of considering comprehensive immigration reform legislation. The U.S. Senate is currently considering immigration legislation, and
the House will take up a bill a path to citizenship root causes of migration during the summer months. • A future worker program • Any future worker program Now is the time to (i.e. “temporary” worker must contain worker communicate with legislators program) which includes protections, adequat e about what elements are protections for both U.S. wages, and a path to required in a comprehensive and foreign-born workers citizenship for participants. immigration b i l l . with an option for a path to The U.S. Catholic bishops citizenship Go to http://capwiz.com/ have called for a • Family-based immigration justiceforimmigrants/issues/ comprehensive overhaul of reform which reduces a l e r t / ? the U.S. immigration system which would include the family backlogs and waiting alertid=9348936&type=CO t i m e s f o r f a m i l y to send an email to or call following elements: reunification your legislators. • An earned legalization • The restoration of due program for undocumented process protections for Source: The USCCB website: for immigrants, regardless of immigrants immigration reform nationality, which includes • Policies which address the www.justiceforimmigrants.org
The Menu Newsletter of the UCC Social Justice Team “ B U T W H E N Y O U G I V E A B A N Q U E T , I N V I T E T H E P O O R , T H E C R I P P L E D , T H E L A M E , T H E B L I N D , A N D Y O U W I L L B E B L E S S E D . A L T H O U G H T H E Y C A N N O T R E P A Y Y O U , Y O U W I L L B E R E P A I D A T T H E R E S U R R E C T I O N O F T H E R I G H T E O U S . ” L U K E 1 4 : 1 3 - 1 4
Upcoming Executions by the State of Texas
Apathy or Action: The Struggle for Human Rights Symposium April 16 - 19
A Prayer for Immigrant Justice
The White Rose Society is a UT student organization dedicated to holocaust and genocide awareness and activism. Governor Perry has now In their campaign to end genocide in Darfur they have raised completed 152 executions and donated thousands of dollars, sent thousands of letters to while in office, tying Bush's politicians, raised awareness about genocide issues and previous record. lobbied the Texas Senate to divest from Sudan. The Peaceful vigils are held every symposium events will include a Holocaust and Genocide evening of an execution at the Commemoration, Film Festival, Speaker Series, and a Social Governor's Mansion at 12 & Justice Activism Fair. Visit www.thewhiterosesociety.org for more information. Lavaca, 5:30-6:30 pm.
April 26 Ryan Dixon
Blessed are You, L o r d G o d , King of all creation. Through Your goodness, we live in this land that You have so richly blessed. Help us always to recognize our Blessings come from You and remind us to share them with others, especially those who come Thurs. April 26 7:30 pm John Michael Talbot, Catholic music’s number one recording artist, will play a benefit to us today from other concert for St. Louise House, a transitional living facility for women and children, at St. lands. Help us to be gener ou s , j ust , a n d Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church on 4800 Convict Hill Rd. For more information, welcoming, as You have go to www.stcatherine-austin.org. been and are generous to Source: us. Amen.
Benefit Concert for St. Louise House
Immigration Mythbusting Immigrants don’t pay taxes •Immigrants pay taxes, in the form of income, property, sales, and taxes at the federal and state level. A range of studies find that immigrants pay $90-$140 billion a year in taxes. Undocumented immigrants pay income taxes as well, which grew by $20 billion 1990-1998. Immigrants come here to take welfare •Immigrants come to work and reunite with family. Immigrant labor force participation is consistently higher than native-born and immigrant workers make up a larger share of the U.S. labor force (12.4%) than they do t he U.S. populat ion (11.5%). Moreover, immigrant tax payments total $20-$30 billion more than the government services they use.
Immigrants take jobs • The largest wave of immigration since the early 1900s coincided with our lowest national unemployment rate and fastest economic gr owt h. I mm igr ant entrepreneurs, and foreignborn students allow many U.S. graduate programs to keep their doors open. • The net benefit of immigration to the U.S. is nearly $10 billion annually. 70% of immigrants arrive in prime working age, so we haven’t spent a penny on their education, yet they are transplanted into our workforce and will contribute $500 billion toward our social security system in the next 20 years Most immigrants cross the border illegally • Around 75% of today’s immigrants have legal permanent visas; of the
25% that are undocumented, 40% overstayed temporary visas. Weak U.S. border enforcement has lead to high undocumented immigration • From 1986-1998, the Border Patrol’s budget increased six-fold and the number of agents stationed on our southwest border doubled to 8,500. The Border Patrol also toughened its enforcement strategy, heavily fortifying typical urban entry points and pushing migrants into dangerous desert areas, in hopes of deterring crossings. Instead, the undocumented immigrant population doubled in that timeframe, to 8 million. Insufficient legal avenues for immigrants to enter the U.S. has contributed to this current conundrum.
Source: justiceforimmigrants.org
www.justiceforimmigrants.org
SJ Team Mission statement: The UCC Social Justice Team seeks to connect what we experience at Mass on Sunday to how we live the rest of the week by focusing on the tenets of charity and justice. We serve the common good through works of mercy for the poor and vulnerable and advocate for just social policy.
Like what you see? Want to become a part of it? A small group of students and adults committed to promoting justice around the UCC and the community produces this bi-weekly news let t er , looks for opportunities to do charity and justice, leads workshops and hosts other events. If you would like to help with planning, or would like to submit to the newsletter, email [email protected].
