In March, 20,000 demonstrators gathered in Washington, DC to rally and lobby against the Sensenbrenner-King bill. Many clergy and professionals who serve immigrants wore handcuffs to emphasize the impact the proposed legislation would have on them. Photo:

Last December, the House of Representatives passed H.R.4437, the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, or the Sensenbrenner-King Bill. If it passes the Senate, the bill would make being in the US without papers an aggravated felony (classifying some 11 million people as criminals), and give police the "inherent authority" to question and demand papers of both citizens and non-citizens. People who could not prove their legal status, in other words, anyone who isn't carrying their passport or visa, could be detained. It would also classify anyone who aids illegal immigrants as an "alien smuggler," and require clergy to ask immigrants for proof of residency before assisting them.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have demonstrated across the country in protest of the Sensenbrenner Act and in support of humane, fair legislation to support the millions of US residents without full citizenship. As of this writing, the Senate has still not considered the bill. However, the massive mobilization of clergy, human service workers, immigrants' rights activists, and citizens concerned for human rights and civil liberties will have a lasting impact.

Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles has written to President Bush stating that "It is staggering for the federal government to stifle our spiritual and pastoral outreach to the poor, and to impose penalties for doing what our faith demands of us… Speaking for the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, such restrictions are impossible to comply with."

As Msgr. John Barry of Manhattan Beach put it, "In the eyes of God, no one is illegal."

Mahony announced that the 288 parishes of the Los Angeles diocese will ignore the immigration bill if it passes. So far, twenty Catholic groups have signed on to Mahony's effort along with a number of dioceses around the country, including all the bishops of Arizona.

To take action on this and other immigration issues, visit Justice for Immigrants at www.justiceforimmigrants.org [5], AFSC at www.afsc.org/immigrants-rights/default.htm [6], or the MIRA Coalition at http://miracoalition.org [7].