Family First says the Catholic Church

An article from the Houston Chronicle points out a current example of the Catholic Church trying to influence policy in a direction which would preserve the family and serve their humanitarian goals. The US Cardinal’s call for an end to the indiscriminate enforcement of immigration policies and violent police raids calls on Washington to employ tactics which would be less invasive of the family structure. In the implementation of immigration policies, families are often split up, deporting the parents and leaving the children either to the streets or foster care system. Cardinal Francis George, a speaker at the Chicago rally protesting immigration policies, does not condone immigrants breaking the law, neither does he condone the “separat(ion) of families, wives from husbands, children from parents, (would be) to diminish what God has joined.” The preservation of the family is one of the main foci of Catholic belief and the cause is readily served by the participation of Catholics in protesting immigration policies threatening the family.
Cardinal George also points to the immigrant voters may lose loyalty to those who support the violent raids and subsequent division of families. It is extremely important for the people to have faith in and maintain a positive image of the government. The support and implementation of policies such as militaristic raids on homes with fathers, mothers, and small children is a quick way to lose support for the program and develop antagonistic attitudes. Therefore it is important for US Customs officials and others responsible for the enforcement of disciplining those in violation of immigration policies to be cognizant of the dissidence coming from the Catholic community.