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Public forum to address policies on immigration

A discussion at Temple Beth-El will air divergent opinions on topics ranging from national security to hospitality.

By WAVENEY ANN MOORE
Published April 29, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - When Rabbi Michael Torop opens the discussion at his temple's "Immigration in America" forum Tuesday, he'll not mince words about how Jews should behave toward strangers in their midst.

He'll refer to several biblical verses in Leviticus: "You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you ... for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt."

Tuesday's social policy forum at Temple Beth-El in St. Petersburg is designed to be an informative discussion about immigration; not everyone will share Torop's view.

James Johnston, a member of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, is coming from Orlando to participate in the discussion. His group's mission, in part, is to "see the borders and coastal boundaries of the United States secured against the unlawful and unauthorized entry of all individuals."

The forum will touch on issues of hospitality, law, national security and ethnic and racial profiling.

Torop will open the discussion by offering a Jewish perspective on immigration policy, a viewpoint shared by many faith leaders.

Jews and Christians point to verses in Genesis and Leviticus as examples of God's call for hospitality to strangers. Roman Catholic social teaching says a country should regulate its borders with justice and mercy.

Torop will be followed by Stephen Vladeck, an expert in immigration and constitutional law at the University of Miami, who will speak about the legal issues. A roundtable discussion will follow.

Luz Nagle, an immigrant from Colombia and a professor at Stetson University College of Law, will be there to share her story.

She tells of an encounter she had with another driver who had been traveling in the wrong direction. When she reproached him, he screamed at her, "You are an illegal immigrant. Go back to where you came from, " she said.

"This debate is crucial, " she said. "If we start labeling people, the nation will be divided more. We are supposed to be a melting pot, working toward the same goals."

Nagle, who said she wants to see immigration regulated, is concerned about national security as well as the human toll of illegal entry. On Tuesday she can be expected to talk about human trafficking, exploitation of undocumented workers and the families who have been separated by borders.

Johnston, an engineer, said he is establishing a chapter of the Minuteman group in Brevard, Volusia and Indian River counties. He decided to join the organization after seeing last year's massive immigrant-led demonstrations on television. He was incensed to see the government "sit back and do nothing, " he said. "We have to rise up."

President Bush should order troops to the borders, he said.

"We need that more than anything, " he said. "Next I want to see thousands of employers arrested and charged. So many employers knowingly hire them. That will cause millions of illegals to leave, and I want them to get in the back of the line for legal immigration, and I want no guest worker program, absolutely zero."

Johnston, who traces his ancestors to Wales and Germany, added that anyone who refuses to leave the country should be thrown in jail, "otherwise they will just sit down and work until they get picked up."

"I know it sounds hard-core, " he said of his philosophy, "but I don't see another answer. The whole world will come here, because we have it so much better than the rest of the world."

Nagle, a former judge in Colombia, escaped the South American nation at a time when its Supreme Court justices were the target of Medellin cartel assassinations. Now a U.S. citizen, she speaks with authority about the struggles of starting over in a new country. She had to learn English and return to law school. She is the first Hispanic tenured professor at Stetson.

Nagle spreads the blame around for the chaotic immigration situation.

Nations from which many undocumented immigrants flee rely on money they send back home, she said, instead of concentrating on educating their citizens and providing good health care and infrastructure.

The U.S. government must hire more people to work in immigration offices and at ports of entry, she said.

"I am afraid for those who come here through illegal channels. I see a lot of people promoting illegal immigration, not because they care about those who come here, but because of their own benefit, the corporations and others who benefit from those who work for nothing. ... All this has prompted trafficking of human beings, " she said.

"This dialogue about immigration is crucial."

If you go

Open forum

The "Immigration in America" forum, with a question-and-answer period, will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Temple Beth-El, 400 Pasadena Ave., St. Petersburg. Free and open to the public. Information: Temple Beth-El at 347-6136.

[Last modified April 28, 2007, 19:28:43]