Of course, Utah's unique cultural-political mashup could make passing similar laws (Listen up, Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem) problematic. The LDS Church, which is flourishing among Latin American immigrants, could see its members, leaders and, even worse, its blessed missionaries, required to carry proof of citizenship. The church already has been embarrassed by incidents of "undocumented" missionaries being detained.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Utah's Unique Immigration problem
Glen Warchol points out the elephant in the room that will make things interesting when Utah tries to pass Arizona's immigration law here:
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7 comments:
So...I don't know any stats on this, but I would think that there are more Latin members in AZ than UT.
Also, if you have immigrated here illegally, you've broken the law. The teachings of the church are to obey the laws of the land. If you have broken the law, the church admonishes you repent and take the full consequences of your actions. Repentance includes restitution - you know, righting your wrong. Which, in the case of illegal immigration, would mean returning to your country of birth and seeking out LEGAL ways to do what you want and "get a better life."
Also, foreign missionaries are already supposed to carry ID on them when they travel and proselyte.
And I really don't see what kind of problems the church faces if illegal immigration laws are enforced. This is all completely bogus. The only elephant is the left's own idiocy.
Common sense would give that there are more Latino Mormons in AZ than in UT. Therefore, the effects of the law on Church members will be seen in AZ.
However, the Church has had several missionaries returning home get detained by immigration because they were in the country illegally. They were here illegally before their missions. there is a link in my post.
Yes yes I saw the link. I don't see what it has to do with this. What it says to me is that the church needs to not step around the laws or there will be trouble.
Also, how can a missionary that is willfully breaking the law be considered worthy for a mission?
Shirley Elizabeth. You would do well to read the article that is linked to by the word "incidents" in the original post to become better informed about your church's position on this topic before continuing to spout off about the "idiocy" of others.
From the article:
To avoid such problems, the church has assigned undocumented prospective missionaries (who must declare their immigration status before serving) only to U.S. missions. Those missionaries likely will have to stay out of airports and arrive and leave by car, bus or train.
The arrest has had a "chilling effect" on Mormonism's Latino wards and branches, says a Chilean immigrant and returned LDS missionary named Jaime, who declined to give his last name because of his immigration status.
Other than for its missionaries, the LDS Church takes a "don't ask, don't tell" approach toward the immigration status of its members. But some estimate between 50 percent and 75 percent of members in Utah's 104 Spanish-speaking congregations are undocumented. That includes many bishops, branch presidents, even stake presidents.
Sounds to me like being illegal is not a problem for the Church.
It's important to acknowledge that the Arizona immigration law only works with racial profiling. The police do not have the time to ask everyone for proof of citizenship, and then detain every single person who left home without a passport or birth certificate.
Due to this fact, enforcement of the law would inevitably result in civil rights violations.
However, the law is also patently unconstitutional, which means there will probably be a court injunction before it can take effect. States do not get to make their own foreign policy.
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