Some illegal immigrants deserve to stay, argue bishops
By Ed West
18 April 2008

The bishops of England and Wales have issued a statement urging the Government to allow undocumented migrants to "acquire proper status", but stopping short of calling for a full amnesty for illegal immigrants.

The pastoral statement, entitled The Mission of the Church to Migrants in England and Wales, was launched this week by Auxiliary Bishop Patrick Lynch of Southwark, who is in charge of the Office for Refugee Policy. The document was written to reflect "a transformation of the social character" of Catholic dioceses.

"We recognise and celebrate their rich cultural and spiritual patrimony and the ways in which they are enriching us as they join us in our parishes and dioceses," the document says. "This statement is the result."

But while the document calls on Catholics to welcome all migrants and help them integrate, it does not explicitly support a full amnesty.

Last year Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor was criticised for lending his support to the Strangers into Citizens campaign, which seeks an amnesty for the estimated 500,000 illegal immigrants living in Britain.

Critics argued that the Cardinal should not have become involved in such a divisive political issue, and both the Labour and Conservative parties argued that it would increase pressure on public services and lead to increased illegal immigration.

The new statement avoids this political controversy but argues that in some cases immigrants should be allowed to stay.

"Many of these migrants have been here for several years," it says. "Some have even set down roots and started families. Without condoning illegal immigration the Church's position on this, as in other fields of human endeavour, does not allow economic, social and political calculations to prevail over the person.

"The Church will continue to advocate compassion to allow the 'undocumented' an opportunity to acquire proper status, so that they can continue to contribute to the common good without the constant fear of discovery and removal."

The statement also condemns "restrictive immigration policies and draconian 'deterrence' measures to stop the movement of migrants".

Such policies, it says, "are unwittingly driving more and more non-skilled migrants into the hands of human smugglers and traffickers".

It also draws attention to the "special vulnerability of women", a recognition of the growing trade in sex-trafficked women.

Two weeks before elections in London and councils across England and Wales, in which the anti-immigration British National Party is expected to win a seat on the London Assembly, the bishops also attacked xenophobia in the media and among politicians.

They said: "These pluralistic new social formations, often portrayed negatively by sections of the media, have stimulated public anxiety, xenophobia and even racism. We stress that the Catholic Church rejects racism in all its forms, including the anti-migrant rhetoric increasingly popular in some parts of the country particularly during electoral periods."

Bishop Lynch said he personally supported "the London campaign for amnesty, for people who have lived here, settled here and often had kids here".

Ann Widdecombe, a Conservative MP and a Catholic, said the Church needed to express itself carefully on the sensitive issue of immigration.

"I think that the Church needs to be careful if it says we should give priority to anyone who has arrived into the country illegally," she said.

"I would not say the Church does not have a role in politics, but the immigration laws are there to guarantee fairness as well as firmness."