How should Catholics vote on Measure 88, which would create driver cards for illegal immigrants?
Today in Oregon, more than 200,000 U.S. citizens and legal residents are jobless or “involuntary part-time workers.”
Yet, concurrently, 120,000 illegal immigrants may hold Oregon jobs. Most of these are in fields like food services, construction, and building maintenance -- jobs occupied disproportionately by young, minority and low-skilled Oregonians. Driver cards would better enable illegal immigrants to take and keep those jobs.
Does this matter? Yes. A nation is a common people, an extended family -- in founder John Jay’s words, a band of brethren, united to each other by the strongest ties.” It is natural, moral -- and Christian -- to favor that fellow people, that family, first and foremost over others.
Catholics should vote no on 88. By doing so, they’ll protect Oregon jobs for the fellow Americans who have the greatest claim to our Christian compassion.