my priest from church said this...?

I've heard some ppl use the Bible to back up there anti-immigration beliefs but for some reason I can't picture Jesus booting people out the country since Jesus taught compassion

The US, like 200 other countries, is a sovereign nation with laws to protect its citizens and especially its borders from economic, military, and political threats. The overwhelming majority of these countries are not as lax as our government is enforcing these laws.

Maybe the parishioners didn’t realize illegal immigration is costing them at least $1000 annually per person and eroding their way of life. Maybe they’re OK with supporting the downtrodden that a neighboring country is fully able to support if it so desired. (i.e. our predominately Catholic neighbor doesn't love or even like over 60% of its citizens). It's not OK for most of us however.

The last time I noticed, the U.S. was still a democracy vs. a Christian theocracy.

In terms of taxes, the taxes the illegal aliens don’t pay due to “off the books” arrangements more than compensates for the taxes they pay. I'm talking in aggregate - obviously some get payroll taxes deducted on all they receive.

Yes this is a very nice story however

Illegals do not pay taxes. If the employer is paying an illegal "Under the table" I hardly think he is stupid enough to report it to the IRS.

Sales tax is change compared to legal citizens paying Federal Taxes, State Taxes, City Taxes, FICA, Social Security & School Taxes. I think many would happily pay that and bring home more money to take care of there family.

He sites a few false statements and uses others in a way that is misleading.

Illegals only pay sales tax, then why can't I?

everyone pays sales tax even if your here visiting LEGALLY, so that's just a blind ally used to say they do pay taxes.

Their employers send money to the IRS that they don't get back because the don't have SS#s if they don't have SS#s then there is no tax withheld and none going to the IRS.

If they are using a fake SS# that's fraud, that's a crime!

God did say love thy neighbor, but even God gave us laws to follow and consequences for breaking them.

We are all people and people who break laws are punished not praised.

In my own personal experience I know of many illegals who are "illegal" because they have overstayed their work visa. These illegals I know applied for & received their own valid SSN from the US gov't. when they first arrived here. The SS card is stamped on the front "valid for work only with valid authorization from INS." They have paid taxes & continue to pay taxes every year with their own SSN even though they will never be eligible for welfare, social security, unemployment, medicaid, medicare, food stamps or any any goverment assistance program. I also know illegals who have their own valid tax id #'s & pay taxes through those. It is a widely believed misconception in this country today that all illegals don't pay taxes & another widely believed misconception that those who do are doing so with a stolen SSN. I'm not saying they are all innocent but there are plenty of American citizens guilty of the same crime. Identity theft has been around long before the illegals. Our welfare & social security programs were in grave danger long before illegals were here. We just choose now to use the illegals as a scapegoat for all of our problems. The real problems of our society are caused when man-made laws conflict with those of God's. God's law always will be higher & superior to ours regardless of how we try to extract Him from our government, our money, our pledge, our schools or our laws. Where God is not welcome chaos reigns. It's time to stop blaming others for our own problems. Let's take a look from within & take responsiblity for what's going on.

EDIT: After reading some of the other responses I have to aks, "DID OUR OWN ANCESTORS NOT COVET THIS PROPERTY?!" Is that now how we ALL got here in the first place? The only difference is our ancestors brutally murdered the Natives & stole it from them. At least the illegals just want to come to work in peace but our self-righteous attitudes AFTER WHAT OUR OWN ANCESTORS did choose to JUDGE them & deem them worthy only of deportation. God is the same yesterday, today & forever. If He allowed our ancestors to come here to start a new life why would He NOW not choose to help the "illegals" do the same?

I liked the story your priest told. However, in order to pay taxes, you have to have a social security number. Employers can't send money to the IRS without a social security number attached to it. It doesn't make any sense.

I think it's a good end-of-service homily. God does ask us to love others, and I believe compassion is his greatest gift to us.

I do not disparage against my brother or sister; I do not insult their race, their creed (if any) or gender. I know in my heart that we all spring from the same waters, and to those waters, we shall all return.

But I do demand that the laws of my country be heeded, and about 20 million have deliberately broken those laws. I do not love them any less; yet, I will not sit back and let people break the laws of my country and demand amnesty because of their sheer numbers.

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By the way: He sounds like a good priest; a good man. I disagree with this particular perspective, however.

"It's not freedom OF religion, it's freedom FROM religion."

This is the very reason why we have a separation of Church and State in this country.

To pander to Christian beliefs of love, charity, or anything else and make those the rule of law does nothing but discriminate against those of us who do not share the Christian view of the world.

Frankly, the priests statement make me wonder if he would prefer a theocracy to a democracy, and shame on anyone who would agree with his sentiments and call themselves patriotic.

There are plenty of countries where the religion determines the law of the land, and if you want to have a theocracy move there.

America was founded on a concept that people can decide from themselves what to follow, and we would have a law fair and equitable to all people.

Illegal immigration is illegal and the law of the land, and does not the Christ tell us, "Render unto Ceasar that which is Ceasars"?

The Priests statements are a non sequitur.

"Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed by inserting "Jesus Christ," so that it would read "A departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion;" the insertion was rejected by the great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohammedan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination." -Thomas Jefferson

God also said to obey the law of the land, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not covet, and when the Church became "God's chosen people" that meant that the followers in Jesus were thus "grafted onto the olive tree" that is Israel, God's chosen people.

Even God says that newcomers need to assimilate into the new society.

I don't get why even priests are so confused. If they would simply crack their Bibles open and read for a while, they might actually have a clue what it SAYS.

EDIT: thumbs-down all you want ... I'm still right.

I wish I could have been there for your mass. No one wants to see the good in anybody and that is just the way we as Americans have been raised and taught. When I was managing a restaurant I saw many of the paychecks of some of my closest friends and they had alot of tax dollars taken from their checks both federal and state, and the other taxes that come out of all our checks. I agree with you most do not see a penny of that money, it goes straight to the schools, hospitals, etc.... I have a friend who is a teacher and some of her best students are those from illegal parents. They try so hard to prove themselves and exceed in all subjects. I have seen these parents explain to their kids how important their education is. Unfortunately, my friend said she has seen a decline in the rest of the parents willingness to be a part of their children's education. Yes we should love our neighbors, we are not the judge of anyone. People can give me a thumb downs for how I feel, but this is the sad truth.

That's funny, I don't see much love from from "my neighbors". I see them coming here illegally and offending in the following ways....

They are prideful,envious,gluttonous and greedy.

They covet,steal,lie,murder and what about lifting up the name of god for a vain purpose?

I also remember something about an eye for an eye in the bible,I think that's a bit more appropriate when dealing with this invasion.