Plainsboro church hosts immigration reform conference

By Greg Forester, Staff Writer
    PLAINSBORO — Immigration reform advocates from the Catholic Church and other organizations joined more than 100 attendees at the Queenship of Mary Church on Tuesday for a panel discussion on reforming the nation’s immigration system.
   The meeting is an outgrowth of a nationwide, diocesan effort in the U.S. called Justice for Immigrants.
   The program consists of a multi-tier platform pushing for complete U.S. immigration reform, justice for immigrants, a welcoming attitude toward them, and development of a nation that is pro-immigrant.
   Supporters came to Tuesday’s event from as far away as Latin America, with Bishop Barnabe Sagastume of the Diocese of Santa Rosa in Guatemala on hand.
   Also taking part in the discussions was Jarteau Israel, the director of immigration for the Diocese of Metuchen and Father Joseph Kerrigan, the director of the Catholic Charities Solidarity Team.
   ”It was a wonderful event,” said Don Stager, a spokesman for the Diocese of Metuchen, which organized Tuesday’s event. “It was great to see people hearing the correct information about immigrants.”
   What is needed is effective and lasting immigration reform and the complete overhaul of the existing U.S. immigration system, which no longer provides a realistic method of attaining legal citizenship, according to supporters, who did not have kind words for the system currently in place.
   ”The system is totally broken,” said Mr. Stager, who noted that the Catholic stance on the issue considers the plight of immigrants in the country.
   The program developed out of the church’s focus on the mistreatment of immigrants by landlords and employers, and a lack of justice and proper health care.
   To address those issues requires a system that offers a realistic chance to gain legal status for immigrants, many of whom come to the U.S. to work in undesirable positions, according to Mr. Stager.
   ”The reality is they take jobs that no one else wants, and they’re being exploited as they come to work just as other people have throughout the centuries,” Mr. Stager said.
   To get the platform called for by the Justice for Immigrants program in place, supporters plan to lobby local and federal politicians, including U.S. Sens. Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg.
   David Abalos, a resident of the Hightstown and East Windsor area and a visiting Princeton University politics professor, took part in a similar panel discussion earlier this year at St. Anthony of Padua in Hightstown.
   In an interview, he agreed with the goals of the Catholic effort, saying that something had to be done about the problem, preferably through a comprehensive overhaul of the current system.
   Mr. Abalos pointed to failed legislation put forth Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), which Mr. Abalos supported, that would have provided a “road to citizenship” through holding a job, paying taxes and avoiding “legal problems.”
   Without such reform legislation and as a result of the problems of the current system, federal judges are beginning to give leeway to state authorities to deal with what is a fundamentally federal problem, Mr. Abalos said.
   For authorities in generally immigrant-friendly places like Princeton or Hightstown, having such leeway is advantageous, as immigrants become more apt to report problems like serious crimes and disease.
   ”We need to establish a environment of trust,” Mr. Abalos said.
   The Princeton professor said he was pleased that part of the Catholic efforts included a call to halt Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, which have occurred in Mercer County.
   ”Those are very horrible experiences,” said Mr. Abalos, who noted that the negative perception of immigrants and the immigration problem held by some in the U.S., especially relating to Mexico, neglected the history of U.S. immigration.
   The disdain targeted at Mexican immigrants is similar to the treatment of Irish, Italian, and Eastern European immigrants 100 years ago, he said.
   ”We’ve forgotten our history,” said Mr. Abalos. “We’re looking at an old story and its being revisited again on a new group of people.”
   Additionally, despite talk of building new border fences, there has traditionally been a free-flow of cheap Mexican labor across the U.S. border, Mr. Abalos said.
   ”Capitalism is always looks for cheap labor,” said Mr. Abalos, noting that the local economy depended on all of the immigrants in the area, who work at many local businesses.
   ”Without them, every small business would collapse and the local economy would collapse,” he said.