1/15/14 - Transcript - The Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles

The Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archibishop of Los Angeles, spoke to Town Hall Los Angeles on January 14, 2014 on "Immigration and the Next America." Archbishop Gomez urged the audience to think of immigration as an issue about people, not politics or economics. While acknowledging that the issues and questions raised by immigration reform are complex, the Archbishop encouraged the audience to have "some compassion and empathy when we think about this question."
 

"What concerns me is this: When they are talking about immigration reform in Washington and in the media, very few people are talking in these terms. We hear about members of Congress who are facing tough primary challenges and how that effects the “timetable” for legislation. We hear calculations about which party is going to get the “Latino” vote in the next election.

I’m not blaming anybody. My point is that this is not the kind of public discourse that is worthy of our great democracy.

We need to insist that this issue is not about politics or economics. It’s about people. People who are struggling. People who are suffering."

 
To read Archbishop Gomez's speech in its entirety, click here.

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