Immigration dilemma

I agree with Pax Christi member Geri Martin’s concerns (“Demand humane immigration,” Letters, Jan. 16), but am not at all certain that these concerns are the result of “horrendous immigration policies.” They could also be the result of a surprisingly large surge of people arriving at our southern border or the political deadlock in Congress preventing open and honest discussion that would lead to just and balanced legislation. If I’m not mistaken, President Obama also faced similar problems, but the media were more sympathetic to his dilemmas.

Roland Mayer
Epiphany, Coon Rapids

Also as a person of faith, I object to the Jan. 16 letter writer claiming we should welcome all the immigrants. She is trashing our president for his policies that are putting Americans first. She claims we should not sit by while children are being separated from their families. I say, blame the parents and not President Trump. No one forced these parents to bring their children here. I feel most of the refugees are coming for the benefits, not asylum and not to assimilate into our culture. Minnesota is already the Somali capital of America with 150,000 of them here added to our taxes. Churches are wrong in participating in bringing them here. America is not the welfare nation for everyone. We need to take care of our homeless before bringing in thousands of foreigners to support. All we hear lately is Catholics need to support the refugees. I will not support them while we have veterans sleeping under bridges while these illegals are in warm apartments and getting free food. It’s time to stop crying for the refugees and support our own who don’t have the churches fighting for them.

Marge Miller
Epiphany, Coon Rapids

Sin or politics?

(Re: “Ecological sin: Idea of updating catechism sparks debate,” Jan. 16.) We joke in our tweets about using plastics once and throwing them out. We drive through the inner city, giving the local, poor children asthma. We use chemicals on our farms, giving farmers cancer. We grow lots of corn, which corporations turn into pop, stealing fresh water from the local poor, who only drink pop (it’s cheaper for them than water), causing massive tooth loss and diabetes. Actions in ignorance are perhaps not sinful. (“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”) But then we find out about the asthma, the cancer, the diabetes. If we continue our actions, then is it ecological sin? Then do we stop? Or is it just politics, and we continue to bear no responsibility for our actions?

Elizabeth Rosenwinkel
St. Albert the Great, Minneapolis

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