Cardinal Asks President to Stop Immigration Raids

At a prayer forum organized by the Archdiocese of Chicago and immigrant rights groups, Cardinal Francis George asked President Barack Obama to stop immigration raids, saying, ""We cannot strengthen families when people live in fear from day to day." You can read the Chicago Tribune story by Gerry Smith here.  

Smith also writes that George called for fair and compassionate immigration reform, saying it is a "matter of conscience."

"May this be the year that raids and separation of families top," he said.  "May this be the year that our legislators pass comprehensive immigration reform."

There are signs that the president may be listening.  In another Tribune article, Obama said to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus  was going to introduce a new strategy for "comprehensive immigration reform" in the coming weeks.  But as an indication of how controversial the immigration issue is for politicians, Obama did not promise to end current enforcement measures, including raids, immediately.

However, U.S. Representative Luis Gutierrez, who was present at both the Congressional Hispanic Congress meeting and the prayer forum in Chicago, believes Obama is for comprehensive reform.

"He's with us on this issue," he said.  "He is our ally."

If this is true, then all signs show that Obama better be ready for a fight.  

Smith wrote that outside of Our Lady of Mercy Church in Chicago, where Cardinal George asked Obama to end raids, a protest organized by the Chicago Minutemen Project argued that illegal immigration took jobs away from Americans.  

In the midst of an economic crisis and skyrocketing unemployment, these arguments could strike a nerve with voters and impede progress for immigration reform.  Obama may have to decide between doing what needs to be done and what is popular with voters. 

Here is a video of Cardinal George speaking briefly about immigration reform in early March.