Thank you Mr. Chairman and committee for the opportunity to voice our concerns about passing any legislation that would cause further stress on our economy and individuals working in the three largest industries – agriculture tourism and construction. As I have expressed to those committee members and bill sponsors I have had the opportunity to meet with, the Catholic Church recognizes the right and responsibility of the United States Government to secure our national borders and we do not encourage or condone undocumented immigration into the U. S. However, the Church has long had an interest in immigration because of our concern for the dignity and rights of human beings and opposition to policies that separate families.

Our country was built on the labor of immigrants from other countries who had the opportunity, in the early years, to process through Ellis Island with minimal restrictions, mainly bringing in a serious disease as the overriding concern. As the economy and politics changed in other countries, families were forced to look elsewhere for employment. The United States offered the “American Dream” and employers were eager for cheap sources of labor.

The church has been involved in immigration services for many years, helping process and advise immigrants. We recognize the unique contributions that other cultures have made to society that makes us the melting pot we are today.

Unfortunately, a woefully inadequate system to process applications, decreasing quotas for immigrant admissions, the global economy and our current financial crisis have contributed to the movement to detain and deport undocumented immigrants.

Despite the best efforts of Sen. Mel Martinez and groups such as the National Immigration Law Center, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and many others, comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level has not passed. This is the needed solution, not a patchwork set of laws in the 50 states. 

Many of the provisions in the bills being workshopped today call for stepped up detention and deportation by state and local law enforcement. Immigration law is complicated and complex, something not easy to comprehend with minimal training. Failure to provide proper training could lead to inaccurate status determinations and costly lawsuits against the Department of Corrections and local jail officials who prolong a lawful immigrant’s detention because of inaccurate status findings. 

Besides leading to a decrease in cooperation with law enforcement that could impact the solving of crime, this has and will continue to cause separation of families, parents sent home leaving their U. S. born children here. Additionally, the U. S. Immigration and Customs Service is not prepared to timely deport all those incarcerated and the system will be clogged with undocumented immigrants stopped for driving without a license.  

Some bills call for use of the E-verify system, a voluntary program created by the U. S. Dept. of Homeland Security. Because of its voluntary nature, requirements by the state to mandate may be preempted by federal law. Furthermore, studies have found that 17.8 million Social Security Administration records contain discrepancies, more than half of which are those of U.S. citizens.  

I can go on about other information that supports the positive contributions of these immigrants to our society and economy. For the record, I want to say the church supports an earned legalization for those in this country in an unauthorized status who meet reasonable requirements and NOT amnesty that implies a reward for not obeying immigration laws.  

The Church has a long history and tradition of defending the right to migrate, so that people can exercise their God-given human rights. We also believe that the root causes of migration such as poverty, injustice, religious intolerance and armed conflicts must be addressed so that migrants can stay in their homeland and support their families. As stated previously, the solution must be federal comprehensive immigration reform and we urge the Florida legislature to refrain from passing any legislation that would cause further pain and conflict for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you.