Don’t confuse immigrants with illegals!

One of the ways people try to drum up sympathy for illegal aliens in this country is to call them "undocumented", another is to blur the line by using the term "immigrant." That's not fair to the people who came to this country and went through the process to become citizens. In fact, it's an insult to them.

I bring this up because Cardinal Joseph Tobin, who released a statement calling President Trump's immigration orders the "opposite of what it means to be an American" compares the situation to what the Irish, Italians, and Jews were met with when they first came here. With all due respect, there is no comparison.

I don't recall hearing of anyone giving the Irish, Italians, and Jews any kind of sympathy, or aid, or help with getting their children a college education. Those people were "dreamers" too. They dreamed of giving their children a better life and were willing to sacrifice their dreams by scrubbing floors or building the roads and skyscrapers that we have today. They endured hardship and embarrassment at the hands of the "Americans" while they worked their way to become citizens of this country. It meant so much for them to recite the Pledge of Allegiance on the day they would become a citizen of the United States of America.

Cardinal Tobin, speaking to the Star Ledger editorial board, thinks Catholics have a duty to get involved. He cites a quote from the book of Exodus where God tells the people of Israel, "You don't persecute the Alien among you because you were once aliens yourselves."

I'm sure in the days of Exodus, those who broke the law dealt with consequences. No one is asking the people to persecute but it is the job of those who enforce the law to prosecute.

The Cardinal also cites the gospel of Matthew 25 "I was a stranger to you and you did not welcome me." It's not about being welcomed, it's about breaking the law. Follow the law to become citizens and we'll welcome you with open arms.

Now I'm not looking to throw good people out of the country, but we need to come up with a plan that will allow them to stay. That should be the focus and it needs to be done quickly because the clock is ticking.

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