"Who is 'the other', how can I get in relationship with him?" is the
question to ask according to the Episcopal Commission for Migration and
Tourism of the Episcopal Conference of Argentina, in the face of
divisions caused by the theme of migration both at a political level and
of society. The discussion on the links between migration and crime has recently taken momentum, in order to reform immigration law to protect the country "against crime coming from foreign countries".
The Episcopal Commission therefore issued a statement, reported by AICA, entitled "Stigmatization of migrants?" in which it highlights a certain vision of this theme which is present in different sectors of society.
"Migrants are forced to leave their land for survival and the need to improve. They are attracted by these countries of destination by the possibility of taking up labor market spaces left free by the local population", recalls the message.
"They are necessary for society, as it is easy to see by taking a look at foreign workers who swarm in the factories, as cooks and waiters in restaurants, on construction sites, on farms, in the fields, etc".
Migrants seek for themselves and for their families to meet the basic needs: housing, health, education, security", in a word, they need integration. A goal that many have already achieved, and others with great difficulty, still try to reach. A goal that the institutions can guarantee by combining a reception that looks to the future and prosperity of the whole society".
The message also notes the wealth that has accumulated throughout the history of the people of Argentina thanks to the meeting of different cultures, and ends with an invitation to "build an enriched and open identity, able to protect and enhance the heritage of values and of ideals that were inherited from the ancestors, and together open up to new wealth of life that many migrants bring with them".