Immigration Issue: Love the Sinner Not the Sin

As Christians we are called to respect every life with dignity, and are never to devalue a person because of the color of their skin or where they come from. Through a conversation with a friend the other day I learned that a mutual acquaintance of ours, who is Catholic, has a very strong stance against illegal immigrants that does not respect the fellow human being. The fact that a fellow Catholic does not treat all with respect saddens me. Remember that no matter where someone comes from does not mean that they should be treated without respect. It is common for Christians who struggle with the issue of illegal immigration to go so far as to say that any child born from a parent who is an illegal immigrant should be shipped back to Mexico as well. Now remember, legally if you were born here you are a citizen no matter who your parents are. While I agree that illegal immigration is wrong, this does not mean we should discriminate against all Mexicans because they -- could be -- an illegal immigrant. To judge anyone as an illegal immigrant does not treat a fellow human being with the respect they deserve, and devalues your expectations of a person. There are many Mexicans who have come to the United States Legally and have been here for generations. We should hold all at higher standards than that, and not be so quick to assume another in society is an illegal immigrant. Up until just over 100 years ago immigration was still allowed and strongly welcomed. Our beautiful land was founded and recognized as the land of the free and millions of people migrated here from Europe and many other countries. While today laws have changed, we should still not discriminate against another in our society because immigration is still welcomed; however, there is a limited number allowed to migrate each year. As a Christian always be prudent not to assume anyone is an illegal immigrant, and never devalue any ethnic group because there are illegal immigrants within them. Love the sinner not the sin. I am pro-immigration, not pro-illegal immigration. But no matter this stance as a Catholic I am called to treat my brothers and sisters in Christ with the utmost respect.