At a press conference today, Texas’ Roman Catholic Bishops rejected Arizona-style immigration policies as a solution in Texas.

“Immigration is good for Texas. Arizona-style policies, on the other hand, have several pitfalls and risk decreasing the very safety of Texans,” said Andrew Rivas, the Executive Director of the Texas Catholic Conference, the official public policy voice of the Bishops of Texas. “We look forward to working with the legislature and our immigration partners to enact state-appropriate laws that recognize the historic and present-day contributions of immigrants in Texas.”

“For the Bishops the issue of immigration is not simply a political one, but a moral issue that impacts human rights and the very life and dignity of the human person,” Rivas stated. “The Church’s work in assisting migrants stems from the belief that every person is created in God’s image. Scripture recognizes God’s people as immigrants, and Jesus himself is a refugee as an infant, and has no home of his own as an adult. Jesus identifies himself with newcomers and with other marginalized persons in a special way, stating ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me.’”

The Texas Bishops support comprehensive immigration reform that includes a pathway to permanent residency, emphasizes family unity, and addresses the root causes of migration in sending countries. The Texas Bishops immigration-related legislative priorities also include opposing the enforcement of federal law by local and state law enforcement, as well as opposition to a Texas-Mexico border fence and any efforts to reduce access to education or health care for immigrants.Two-page policy papers on these issues, as well as the other legislative priorities of the Texas Bishops, can be found on the TCC legislative agenda page here.

The Texas Catholic Conference is the association of the 15 Roman Catholic dioceses of the State of Texas and is the official public policy voice of the Bishops of Texas. For more information on the Texas Catholic Conference, visit www.TXCatholic.org. For information regarding the position of the U.S. Bishops on comprehensive immigration reform, visit the Justice for Immigrants web site, www.JusticeForImmigrants.org.

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Andrew Rivas, Executive Director of the Texas Catholic Conference

Andrew Rivas and Fr. Tom Frank, Pastor at San José Catholic Church in Austin

Full text of speech follows:

For the Bishops the issue of immigration is not simply a political one, but a moral issue that impacts human rights and the very life and dignity of the human person. The Church’s work in assisting migrants stems from the belief that every person is created in God’s image. Scripture recognizes God’s people as immigrants, and Jesus himself is a refugee as an infant, and has no home of his own as an adult. Jesus identifies himself with newcomers and with other marginalized persons in a special way, stating “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

As our legislature faces an unprecedented budget shortfall, it is important to consider the great contributions of our state’s immigrant population. A study by the Texas State Comptroller found that undocumented immigrants in Texas in fiscal year 2005 increased our gross state product by 17.7 billion dollars and produced 1.58 billion dollars in state revenues, which exceeded the $1.16 billion in state services they received.”[1]

Texas’ tax structure is based on fees, sales, and property taxes, all of which are paid by all residents in Texas, regardless of immigration status.  In addition to the work they perform, immigrants contribute a great deal to our state in terms of the property taxes they pay through rent and the sales taxes they pay every time they buy goods and services.

Immigration is good for Texas. Arizona-style policies, on the other hand, have several pitfalls and risk decreasing the very safety of Texans. It is a fact that unauthorized immigration is notassociated with higher crime rates. It is a fact that Texas law enforcement can already arrest immigrants for crimes they commit.  We are concerned that enforcement of civil immigration laws by improperly trained state and local police officials will result in the inadvertent deprivation the civil and constitutional rights of our citizens and lawful permanent residents.  In addition, if an Arizona-style law is enacted in our state, we believe that immigrant communities will no longer trust local police to protect them and may not share important information about crime in their neighborhoods.

We must recognize and welcome the contributions of immigrants to our great state. We call on the Texas legislature to reject Arizona-style immigration policies. We look forward to working with the legislature and our immigration partners to enact state-appropriate laws that recognize the historic and present-day contributions of immigrants in Texas.