I have to applaud Pres. Obama for his words and actions tonight about immigration. This was a big step forward for our country. I hope that it opens the door for more steps in this direction. Its as if he had read a statement from my Church three years ago and developed a plan to implement its direction. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10 June 2011 Around the world, debate on the immigration question has become intense. That is especially so in the United States. Most Americans agree that the federal government of the United States should secure its borders and sharply reduce or eliminate the flow of undocumented immigrants. Unchecked and unregulated, such a flow may destabilize society and ultimately become unsustainable. As a matter of policy, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints discourages its members from entering any country without legal documentation, and from deliberately overstaying legal travel visas. What to do with the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants now residing in various states within the United States is the biggest challenge in the immigration debate. The bedrock moral issue for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is how we treat each other as children of God. The history of mass expulsion or mistreatment of individuals or families is cause for concern especially where race, culture, or religion are involved. This should give pause to any policy that contemplates targeting any one group, particularly if that group comes mostly from one heritage. As those on all sides of the immigration debate in the United States have noted, this issue is one that must ultimately be resolved by the federal government. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is concerned that any state legislation that only contains enforcement provisions is likely to fall short of the high moral standard of treating each other as children of God. The Church supports an approach where undocumented immigrants are allowed to square themselves with the law and continue to work without this necessarily leading to citizenship. In furtherance of needed immigration reform in the United States, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints supports a balanced and civil approach to a challenging problem, fully consistent with its tradition of compassion, its reverence for family, and its commitment to law. mormonnewsroom.org/article/immigration-church-issues-new-statement - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - There are people who say that the law must be upheld and people who disobey it must suffer the consequences prescribed by the law. But what law is that? It only exists because illegal immigrants insurrections overthrew the laws they broke. Consider three histories of what now are States in the United States of America: Texas -------- In the early 1800s, The Mexican government granted licenses for 300 families from the US and other places to settle in the part of northern Mexico known as Texas. A deluge of illegal immigrants into Mexico from the US soon followed: Texas had 3,500 people in 1825 most were of Mexican descent; there were 37,800 people there in 1834, of which only 7,800 were of Mexican descent. These illegal immigrants soon began to use slaves to work their lands in order to make them more profitable. The federal congress passed legislation outlawing slavery in all Mexican territories on 6 April 1830. This was the catalyst for the illegal immigrants armed insurrection against the federal government. The federal government sent troops to Texas to end the illegal immigrants rebellion and to enforce the ban on slavery. These troops defeated the pro-slavery insurgents from the US in the battle of the Alamo. It was the last hope for ending slavery in Texas for three decades because the pro-slavery illegal immigrants won a crushing defeat of the Mexican forces two months later in the battle of San Jacinto -- massacring Mexican troops trying to surrender -- ending the rebellion. Slavery persisted in the independent Republic of Texas, declared between the battles of the Alamo and San Jacinto, and as the state of Texas until all slavery in the US, except as punishment for crimes, was abolished with the 13th Amendment to the USs Constitution in December, 1865. In other words, the established government and laws (Mexican) in Texas were overthrown by illegal immigrants from the U.S. who not only entered illegally but committed violent crimes of sedition in Texas (according to the established laws, Mexican laws.) Sounds like the hypocritical complaints of the current residents who want to continue to exclude the victims descendants. Now, the governments of Texas and the United States have the temerity to pretend that Mexicans are the illegal immigrants. California ------------- Excerpt from California article in Wikipedia: Beginning in the 1820s, trappers and settlers from the U.S. and Canada began to arrive in Northern California, harbingers of the great changes that would later sweep the Mexican territory. [...] In 1846 settlers rebelled against Mexican rule during the Bear Flag Revolt. ... against the established (Mexican) government and laws in which illegal immigrants overtook California and proclaimed the California Republic. Its only Presidents term lasted 22 days -- until U.S. forces occupied the nascent Republic. In other words, the established government and laws (Mexican) in California were overthrown by illegal immigrants from the U.S. who not only entered illegally but committed violent crimes of sedition in California (according to the established laws, Mexican laws.) Sounds like the hypocritical complaints of the current residents who want to continue to exclude the victims descendants. Now, the governments of California and the United States have the temerity to pretend that Mexicans are the illegal immigrants. Arizona ---------- Excerpt from Arizona article in Wikipedia: When Mexico achieved its independence from Spain in 1821, what is now Arizona became part of the Territory of Nueva California, also known as Alta California. In the Mexican–American War (1847), the U.S. occupied Mexico City and pursued its claim to much of northern Mexico, including what later became Arizona. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) specified that the sum of $15 million U.S. dollars in compensation (equivalent to about $380 million in present day terms) be paid to the Republic of Mexico. In other words, the established government and laws (Mexican) in Arizona were overthrown by illegal immigrants from the U.S. who not only entered illegally but committed violent crimes of sedition in Arizona and other parts of the established government (according to the established laws, Mexican laws.) Sounds like the hypocritical complaints of the current residents who want to continue to exclude the victims descendants. That the illegal immigrants dictated a settlement of $15 million at gunpoint does not absolve the illegality of their actions under the established laws. Now, the governments of Arizona and the United States have the temerity to pretend that Mexicans are the illegal immigrants. Bonus Case - Utah / Deseret ---------------------------------------- The Mormons in the United States appealed to the US and state governments for protections from the mobs to no avail. They were forced out of their last home in a US State -- Nauvoo, Illinois -- in the dead of winter and fled to Mexican territory for refuge. The first party of these refugees from the United States entered the Salt Lake Valley in July, 1847 and began to establish their peaceful communities away from the violent disruptions they endured in the United States. Their peace was short-lived because the aforementioned Treaty of Guadalupe in 1848 -- the fruit of the USs illegal armed incursions into areas now part of the US and into Mexico City, some 1,500 miles south of the border -- resulted in the Mormons being again under the protection of the US. The violent armed persecutions soon followed in the form of 1/5 of the US Army which occupied Deseret/Utah in 1858, under the command of Gen. Johnston. Succeeding benefits of the Mormons return to US rule included imprisonment for practicing their religious beliefs in marriage, the revocation of womens right to vote, the legal disenfranchisement of the Mormon Church, federal seizure of the Churchs property, and the change of their areas name from Deseret (Industry) to Utah. Yes, the Mormons werent displaced by the invaders from the US but they did have US rule and laws imposed upon them after they had been forced out of the country. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - So, thank you again, President Obama, for your leadership tonight in a balanced and civil approach to a challenging problem, fully consistent with [...] compassion, [...] reverence for family, and [...] commitment to law.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 07:58:20 +0000