“Our common faith in Jesus Christ moves us to search for ways that favor a spirit of solidarity. It is a faith that transcends borders and bids us to overcome all forms of discrimination and violence so that we may build relationships that are just and loving.

“Catholic teaching has a long and rich tradition in defending the right to migrate. Based on the life and teachings of Jesus, the Church’s teaching has provided the basis for the development of basic principles regarding the right to migrate for those attempting to exercise their God-given human rights. Catholic teaching also states that the root causes of migration – poverty, injustice, religious intolerance, and armed conflicts – must be addressed so that migrants can remain in their homeland and support their families.”

From Strangers No Longer: A Journey of Hope, a Pastoral Letter issued by U.S. and Mexico Bishops January 2003

Myth vs Fact

MYTH   Immigrants don’t pay taxes.
FACT    Immigrants pay taxes, in the form of income, property, sales, and taxes at the federal and state level.

MYTH   Immigrants come here to take welfare
FACT    Immigrants come to work and reunite with family members. Immigrant labor force participation is consistently higher than native-born, and immigrant workers make up a larger share of the U.S. labor force (12.4%) than they do the U.S. population (11.5%).

MYTH   Immigrants send all their money back to their home countries
FACT    In addition to the consumer spending of immigrant households, immigrants and their businesses contribute $162 billion in tax revenue to U.S. federal, state, and local governments. While it is true that immigrants remit billions of dollars a year to their home countries, this is one of the most targeted and effective forms of direct foreign investment.

MYTH   Immigrants take jobs and opportunity away from Americans
FACT    The largest wave of immigration to the U.S. since the early 1900s coincided with our lowest national unemployment rate and fastest economic growth. Immigrant entrepreneurs create jobs for U.S. and foreign workers, and foreign-born students allow many U.S. graduate programs to keep their doors open.

MYTH   Immigrants are a drain on the U.S. economy
FACT    During the 1990s, half of all new workers were foreign-born, filling gaps left by native-born workers in both the high- and low-skill ends of the spectrum. Immigrants fill jobs in key sectors, start their own businesses, and contribute to a thriving economy. The net benefit of immigration to the U.S. is nearly $10 billion annually. )

MYTH   Immigrants don’t want to learn English or become Americans
FACT    Within ten years of arrival, more than 75% of immigrants speak English well; moreover, demand for English classes at the adult level far exceeds supply.

MYTH   Most immigrants cross the border illegally
FACT    Around 75% of today’s immigrants have legal permanent (immigrant) visas; of the 25% that are undocumented, 40% overstayed temporary (non-immigrant) visas.

MYTH   Weak U.S. border enforcement has lead to high undocumented immigration
FACT    From 1986 to 1998, the Border Patrol’s budget increased six-fold and the number of agents stationed on our southwest border doubled to 8,500. Instead, the undocumented immigrant population doubled in that timeframe, to 8 million—despite the legalization of nearly 3 million immigrants after the enactment of the Immigration Reform and Control Act in 1986.

MYTH   The war on terrorism can be won through immigration restrictions
FACT    No security expert since September 11th, 2001 has said that restrictive immigration measures would have prevented the terrorist attacks—instead, the key is effective use of good intelligence. Most of the 9/11 hijackers were here on legal visas.


The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Washington State Catholic Conference have called for reform of U.S. immigration laws. They have specifically endorsed passage of The Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act of 2005 (S. 1033 and H.R. 2330), also known as the McCain-Kennedy bill.

Source: www.justiceforimmigrants.org

Visit the St. James ESL Page to find out what the cathedral is doing to support refugees and immigrants, and how you can get involved