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This commentary has been adapted from a homily delivered during a memorial mass for immigrants at San Fernando Cathedral Thursday night.

The Lord says, in Exodus, You shall not oppress or afflict a resident alien, for you were once aliens residing in the land of Egypt. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely listen to their cry (Ex 22:20.22).

Not all sins have the same degree of intrinsic evil by which God is offended, nor are their consequences equally serious. The exploitation of the poor, and in particular of migrants who flee dramatic situations in search of opportunities and hope is particularly grave.

The carnage by abandonment whether intentional or negligent of our 53 brothers and sisters killed on Monday, is one of those sins that cry to heaven. Anyone who is not outraged is complicit to at least some degree. They are Gods children. We grieve the loss of these immigrant brothers and sisters because they are members of Gods family.

Certainly, it is traders of death who consider lives as merchandise and ultimately as collateral damage. However, it is not permissible for anyone in our society to remain idle and look the other way in the face of the humanitarian crisis caused to unregulated migration. We all have a role to play in solidarity with people fleeing in search of opportunities for development.

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Even though it is everyones responsibility, it falls primarily on the lay faithful to create the political incentives for our elected representatives to fulfill their duty to pass comprehensive immigration reform. The Catholic lay faithful must assume their baptismal duty to sanctify social life by organizing it according to the values of the Gospel. Everyone must do their bit to be part of the solution.

Catholic social teaching provides moral guidance primarily for the laity in their duty of civic engagement. All social life is based on our shared responsibility to uphold human dignity and to pursue the common good, through the practice of solidarity and subsidiarity.

Immigration is a natural phenomenon that arises from the supply and demand for labor and security. It is like a stream of water. If it is not given a channel, it finds it naturally, but not in the right way. Migration is a natural human right. Likewise, the receiving country has the right and the duty to regulate it.

In very concrete ways, the path of immigrants often identifies with the itinerary of the beatitudes described in the gospel of Matthew. It does us good to hear their experiences beyond headlines and editorials. As much as possible, I suggest listening first-hand to the stories of immigrants. It is not uncommon to realize that they have traveled challenging spiritual journeys throughout their physical exodus. They are a great gift for receiving countries, like ours, which owes its greatness largely to its immigrant spirit.

As Pope Francis has said, these beloved men and women mostly young adults were following their hope of a better life.

As we entrust them to Gods merciful embrace, we are warned so that their lives have not been lost in vain. This tragedy must prevent others. Like Pope Francis said, may the Lord open our hearts so these misfortunes never happen again.

May we learn to walk through the journey of the beatitudes in our civic engagement, coming to realize that politics rightly understood is the opposite of ideological confrontation. It is one of the highest forms of charity. It is a path that begins by loving our closest neighbor in order to be able to love even those we do not know.

May the hopes that these deceased pursued be more than fulfilled in heaven through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe. May she guide them on their final journey to restful waters, where their souls are refreshed.

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We must uphold human dignity by passing immigration reform - San Antonio Report

The BDN Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom, and does not set policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or onbangordailynews.com.

Fifty-three people recentlydied horrific deathson a roadside in San Antonio, Texas. Several others were taken to the hospital with heat-related injuries. They were found trapped and abandonedin a scorching hot tractor trailer.

Federal officials have said it is likely the deadliest instance of human smuggling in modern U.S. history, according to CBS News. The victims arepresumed to be migrants. Some had still yet to be identified days later.

The scene was tragic beyond words, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said. I dont understand how anyone could be so callous as to allow it [to] happen and run from the scene.

This is a painful, outrageous reminder of how our broken immigration system breaks lives.

The entire country should be outraged. And perhaps more importantly, our leaders should turn that outrage finally into action on the long stalled issue of comprehensive immigration reform in Congress.

Now is not the time for finger pointing. There is enough blame to go around. Administrations and Congresses led by both parties have failed on this issue for decades.

A recent exchange between guests on Fox News highlighted a huge part of what has been wrong in the immigration debate. Ben Domenech, publisher of the conservative web magazinethe Federalist, and Jose Aristimuno, a commentator and former Democratic spokesperson, had what could hardly be called a debate on Tuesday. They basically just talked, and shouted, over each other for a few minutes, trading plenty of blame but few actual ideas.

Nationally, weve been having a version of this unproductive conversation for years now. It doesnt have to be this way. Various attempts at comprehensive reform have come close, only to fail because of partisan pressure and campaign politics. These efforts have rightly tried to balance compassion for immigrants looking to start a new life in America (or continue that life if theyre already here) and security at the border.

In 2013, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan immigration reform bill by a vote of 68-32. Fourteen Republicans, including Maine Sen. Susan Collins, joined all Democrats to support that bill. Unfortunately, it never even received a votein the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. Its a safe bet that electoral considerations heading into a midterm election in 2014 played a role in the ultimate failure, despite a clear bipartisan path forward.

In 2018, independent Maine Sen. Angus King and Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota were at the center of another bipartisan push that took a similarly balanced approach. Then-President Donald Trump helped scuttle that effort, which again recognized both the need to provide a pathway to citizenship for some people already here and bolster border security.

We dont raise these instances to lay blame for their failures in the past. We highlight them againbecause they represent the balanced approach that continues to be needed on immigration reform, and they show what can be possible when partisan politics are set aside.

The last major immigration reform package became law in 1986(though there have been some smaller updates more recently). That means our country is trying to confront a changing situation with outdated laws. It is not working, and it hasnt been working for some time.

Officials in Washington must decide that addressing this issue is more important than campaigning on it. Senators recently proved this is possible with their modest but significant breakthroughon gun legislation. Perhaps there is just the smallest sliver of hope this approach and bipartisan goodwill can carry over to the immigration debate. It is long overdue.

More articles from the BDN

See more here:
A broken immigration system is breaking lives. We need comprehensive reform. - Bangor Daily News

The following is from Accountable Northwest:

OLYMPIA (June 30, 2022) Interpreters for Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) will soon be voting on forming a union, and which organization to partner with. One of their options is to join Interpreters United (WFSE/AFSCME), a well-established public sector union with a track record of negotiating great collective bargaining agreements that bring higher wages, access to health care, and improved working conditions for working families, as well as staff and resources to protect workers year-round.

In fact, the 2018 legislation giving L&I interpreters collective bargaining rights was championed by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE), which was already representing Medicaid and social services interpreters in the state. Those interpreters have won benefits like an hourly minimum pay per appointment, reimbursement for no-shows, and protection against clawbacks. WFSE also successfully changed the law to allow interpreters to bargain over health care with the state.

Another outfit calling itself WA Interpreters, and led by Juan Bloise, is vying to be the self-appointed leader of L&I interpreters. Concerningly, leaked emails reveal that Bloise has been coordinating his efforts with the Freedom Foundation, an anti-worker group with ties to anti-immigrant leaders and funders. While its not a complete picture of their close ties, the damning emails show:

Bloise coordinated multiple times with the Freedom Foundations Max Nelsen on designing a mailer to interpreters. The Freedom Foundation may have even helped with printing and postage expenses.

Bloise asked the Freedom Foundation for money and thanked them for the help theyve provided so far.

The Freedom Foundations Max Nelsen helped set up a telemarketing system for Bloise.

Why is this so concerning? Because the so-called Freedom Foundation actively works to undercut workers. The group has opposed measures that would benefit workers, such as raising the minimum wage, implementing paid sick leave, and increasing retirement security.

Their founder helped write a toolkit on shrinking state governments by cutting employee pensions, raising the retirement age, increasing out-of-pocket health insurance costs, and delaying raises.

Even more disturbingly, they have a track record of hate and division, including against immigrants. Many L&I interpreters are first or second-generation Americans, holding proud ties to a heritage that started outside our borders. People that immigrated to the United States have empowered our country for centuries, so why would Bloise accept help from a group like the Freedom Foundation?

Mike Nearman was a senior employee of the Freedom Foundation and a leader of the anti-immigrant hate group Oregonians for Immigration Reform. They pushed a ballot initiative in Oregon to revoke its status as a sanctuary state. Nearman became the first legislator in Oregon history to be expelled from the state legislature for opening the doors to armed, far-right activists.

In 2019, Fox News Laura Ingraham was the keynote speaker at the Freedom Foundations banquet. She has said that immigrants are coming to replace old America with new America and that Mexican immigrants have come here to murder and rape our people.

Jac Cates, a former staffer at the Freedom Foundation, called for the deportation of all Muslims saying that the religion is the problem.

The Freedom Foundation received funding from the Scaife Foundations, which have also sent millions of dollars to a web of radical anti-immigrant groups including the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS). CIS testified in Congress against immigration reform, claiming virtually all illegal aliens are guilty of multiple felonies. CIS was founded by white supremacist John Tanton.

L&I interpreters are voting soon. With the shocking revelation about Bloises work with the Freedom Foundation, their choice may be a lot simpler. One option is Interpreters United (WFSE), a time-tested organization that has already won pay raises and job improvements for thousands of interpreters. The other is Juan Bloises outfit, which has secretly coordinated with an anti-worker group with ties to the anti-immigrant movement. He owes a big explanation for that choice to the workers he wants to represent.

The rest is here:
'WA Interpreters' group linked to anti-union, anti-immigrant forces - TheStand.org

WASHINGTON Today, President Biden named seventeen recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nations highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.

President Biden has long said that America can be defined by one word: possibilities. These seventeen Americans demonstrate the power of possibilities and embody the soul of the nation hard work, perseverance, and faith. They have overcome significant obstacles to achieve impressive accomplishments in the arts and sciences, dedicated their lives to advocating for the most vulnerable among us, and acted with bravery to drive change in their communities and across the world while blazing trails for generations to come.

The awards will be presented at the White House on July 7, 2022.

The following individuals will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom:

Simone Biles

Simone Biles is the most decorated American gymnast in history, with a combined total of 32 Olympic and World Championship medals. Biles is also a prominent advocate for athletes mental health and safety, children in the foster care system, and victims of sexual assault.

Sister Simone Campbell

Sister Simone Campbellis a member of the Sisters of Social Service and former Executive Director of NETWORK, a Catholic social justice organization. She is also a prominent advocate for economic justice, immigration reform, and healthcare policy.

Julieta Garca

Dr. Julieta Garca is the former president of The University of Texas at Brownsville, where she was named one ofTimemagazines best college presidents. Dr. Garca was the first Hispanic woman to serve as a college president and dedicated her career to serving students from the Southwest Border region.

Gabrielle Giffords

Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was the youngest woman ever elected to the Arizona State Senate, serving first in the Arizona legislature and later in the U.S. Congress. A survivor of gun violence, she co-founded Giffords, a nonprofit organization dedicated to gun violence prevention.

Fred Gray

Fred Gray was one of the first black members of the Alabama State legislature since Reconstruction. As an attorney, he represented Rosa Parks, the NAACP, and Martin Luther King, who called him the chief counsel for the protest movement.

Steve Jobs (posthumous)

Steve Jobs (d. 2011) was the co-founder, chief executive, and chair of Apple, Inc., CEO of Pixar and held a leading role at the Walt Disney Company. His vision, imagination and creativity led to inventions that have, and continue to, change the way the world communicates, as well as transforming the computer, music, film and wireless industries.

Father Alexander Karloutsos

Father Alexander Karloutsos is the former Vicar General of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. After over 50 years as a priest, providing counsel to several U.S. presidents, he was named by His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew as a Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Khizr Khan

Khizr Khanis a Gold Star father and founder of the Constitution Literacy and National Unity Center. He is a prominent advocate for the rule of law and religious freedom and served on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom under President Biden.

Sandra Lindsay

Sandra Lindsayis a New York critical care nurse who served on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic response. She was the first American to receive a COVID-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials and is a prominent advocate for vaccines and mental health for health care workers.

John McCain (posthumous)

John McCain (d. 2018) was a public servant who was awarded a Purple Heart with one gold star for his service in the U.S. Navy in Vietnam. He also served the people of Arizona for decades in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate and was the Republican nominee for president in 2008.

Diane Nash

Diane Nash is a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee who organized some of the most important civil rights campaigns of the 20th century. Nash worked closely with Martin Luther King, who described her as the driving spirit in the nonviolent assault on segregation at lunch counters.

Megan Rapinoe

Megan Rapinoeis an Olympic gold medalist and two-time Womens World Cup champion. She also captains OL Reign in the National Womens Soccer League. She is a prominent advocate for gender pay equality, racial justice, and LGBTQI+ rights.

Alan Simpson

Alan Simpson served as a U.S. Senator from Wyoming for 18 years. During his public service, he has been a prominent advocate on issues including campaign finance reform, responsible governance, and marriage equality.

Richard Trumka (posthumous)

Richard Trumka (d. 2021)was president of the 12.5-million-member AFL-CIO for more than a decade, president of the United Mine Workers, and secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO. Throughout his career, he was an outspoken advocate for social and economic justice.

Wilma Vaught

Brigadier General Wilma Vaughtis one of the most decorated women in the history of the U.S. military, repeatedly breaking gender barriers as she rose through the ranks. When she retired in 1985, she was one of only seven women generals in the Armed Forces.

Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington is an actor, director, and producer who has won two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globes, and the 2016 Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also served as National Spokesman for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for over 25 years.

Ral Yzaguirre

Ral Yzaguirre is a civil rights advocate who served as CEO and president of National Council of La Raza for thirty years. He also served as U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic under President Barack Obama.

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See the article here:
President Biden Announces Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom - The White House

Explore the July issue of The American Legion Magazine, with feature articles on the legacy of Old Ironsides, the Legions immigration policy, the origins of Roberts Rules of Order and more.The clickable digi-mag is available throughMyLegion.org.

In Americas Ship of State, John Raughter describes how USS Constitution became the worlds oldest warship afloat, surviving battles on the high seas and budget-minded bureaucrats. Plus, a Q&A with Cmdr. Billie Farrell, the first woman to command Old Ironsides and newest member of J.W. Conway Bunker Hill American Legion Post 26 in Charleston, Mass.

Passed by The American Legions National Executive Committee on May 5, Resolution 23 clarifies and updates the organizations policy on immigration, border control, detention and the route to naturalization and U.S. citizenship.

After presiding over a contentious public meeting in New Bedford, Mass., in 1863, Army officer and West Point graduate Henry Martyn Robert wrote his own manual on parliamentary procedure one still used today by government bodies, city and town councils, planning boards, school committees and more than 12,000 American Legion posts.

An American Legion report recommends VA and the Department of Education clear up definitions, rules and outdated references for GI Bill-using veterans and military-affiliated students enrolled in online programs. Online is the future, and the quality is there, says Joseph Wescott, a higher education consultant for the Legion and former president of the National Association of State Approving Agencies. Were not going back, due to the far-reaching advancements in technology.

In Hells Half Acre, Keith Nightingale tells the story of young paratroopers who led a misdropped resistance force in stalling German reinforcements at Normandy. No heavy weapons, no officers, no medics, no radios, he writes. This would be the ultimate light infantry battle, led by two men barely out of their teens.

This years 1,200-mile American Legion Legacy Run will depart Mobile, Ala., on Aug. 21 and travel through five states before arriving Aug. 25 at Post 434 in Oak Creek, Wis., in advance of the Legions 103rd National Convention in Milwaukee. Money raised benefits the American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund, which provides college scholarships to children of U.S. military personnel killed on active duty on or after 9/11, as well as children of post-9/11 veterans with a combined VA disability rating of 50% or greater. Register for the Legacy Run or donate here.

An emphasis on programs, activities and spaces that appeal to children is fueling growth at Jack Henry Post 1 in Alaska, Fuquay-Varina Post 116 in North Carolina and elsewhere. As a new membership year begins, The American Legion is trending in the right direction, especially where we are welcoming young veterans and their families, National Commander Paul E. Dillard writes.

Members can clickhereto access the digital magazine.

To join The American Legion and enjoy monthly digital issues ofThe American Legion Magazine, visitlegion.org/join.

Originally posted here:
Old Ironsides, immigration reform and more in July magazine - The American Legion