By As Leo prepares to reach Metz, at the crossroads of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, what message will he offer about welcoming the stranger and the consequences of mass immigration?
METZ, France — The hot-button issue of immigration has invited itself into Pope Leo XIV’s first apostolic journey to France, otherwise marked by the defense of human life and the remarkable signs of Catholic revival currently emerging across the country. It could provide one of the most revealing indications yet of how the American pope intends to address a deeply divided Europe.
As Leo prepares to reach Metz, at the crossroads of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, what message can he offer a continent increasingly torn between the Christian imperative to welcome the stranger and growing concerns over the social, cultural, and security consequences of mass immigration?
The balance is particularly difficult to strike, not least for a pope whose experience has been largely shaped by Latin America, where migration raises different demographic and civilizational challenges than in Europe. So far, he has combined strong continuity with Pope Francis’ defense of migrants and a more explicit recognition of the rights of nations, the demands of integration, and the concerns of receiving societies.
It is against this backdrop that Leo is traveling to Metz on Sept. 28 for an interreligious meeting, followed by an address on the “Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity” at the Robert Schuman Conference Centre. He already sent a strong international signal by visiting Maison Bakhita, a Paris center for migrants, on Sept. 26, just one day before the World Day of Migrants and Refugees.
At Europe’s crossroads
More than a decade after the 2015 migration crisis, immigration has become one of the defining fault lines of European politics — and increasingly of European Catholicism itself.
That year alone, more than 1.2 million people applied for asylum in the European Union, and migration pressures have remained a major continental issue ever since, with political repercussions still unfolding.
In the weeks preceding Leo’s arrival in Metz, the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) scored two historic victories in regional elections, while in France, Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National is already well ahead of its rivals in polls for the 2027 presidential election.
The term “remigration” itself, once largely confined to fringe circles, has entered the European political vocabulary, as illustrated by the large-scale “Save Europe Act” campaign, which advocates an end to mass immigration and a policy of remigration. It has already gathered some 750,000 signatures and sparked a confrontation with the European Commission over its attempted registration as a European Citizens’ Initiative.
These mounting tensions are increasingly reflected within the Church itself. While identitarian Catholic voices and platforms have gained visibility on social media, much of the Catholic hierarchy has continued to place strong emphasis on the duty to welcome migrants.
In Germany, Catholic bishops have also repeatedly warned against the AfD and the growing appeal of “remigration,” while Cardinal Gerhard Müller, following the party’s historic victory in Saxony-Anhalt this month, accused bishops of misusing their spiritual authority by intervening in partisan politics and thereby alienating Catholic AfD voters.
In Italy, meanwhile, Archbishop Giancarlo Perego, head of the bishops’ migration commission, recently accused Giorgia Meloni’s government of placing “borders before people.”
France has been marked by equally heated Catholic debates on the issue over the past decade.
In “Église et immigration: le grand malaise,” published in 2017, conservative writer Laurent Dandrieu accused Church leaders of reducing Catholic teaching to an almost exclusive imperative of welcome while neglecting the major upheavals experienced by local communities.
More recently, Father Benoist de Sinety, in “La Cause du Christ,” attacked the opposite temptation of instrumentalizing Christianity in the service of identitarian politics.
A column published this month in La Nef magazine challenged what it regarded as a false choice between Christian hospitality and attachment to one’s cultural inheritance.
A ‘rupture’ with the previous pontificate?
Pope Leo, however, seems sensitive to the nuances demanded by this growing polarization. While maintaining the firm defense of migrants that characterized Francis’ pontificate, he has also given unusual prominence to the responsibilities of migrants and the legitimate concerns of the societies that receive them.
Barely a month after his election, Leo prayed at Pentecost that the Holy Spirit might “open borders, break down walls,” and overcome the “logic of exclusion” of political nationalisms. Yet, while supporting the U.S. bishops’ opposition to President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies last November, he stated unequivocally that “every country has a right to determine who and how and when people enter,” rejecting the idea that states should have open borders.
This drive for balance was reaffirmed during his visit to the Canary Islands in June, when he invoked the “right not to have to migrate,” warned against the creation of “parallel worlds,” and asserted that host societies must be able to welcome newcomers without “diluting their identity.”
This language has led some Catholic observers, including French Vatican analyst Jean-Marie Guénois, to speak of a “rupture” with his predecessor on immigration. But his approach appears less a break than an attempt to better articulate a tension already present in Catholic doctrine.
A delicate balance
Indeed, the Catechism of the Catholic Church itself holds together principles that are often separated in today’s debate. It asks wealthier nations to welcome foreigners seeking security and vital resources “to the extent they are able,” while affirming that political authorities may regulate immigration for the sake of the common good. Migrants, in turn, are called to respect the laws as well as the “material and spiritual heritage” of their host country (No. 2241).
The Catholic Church therefore establishes moral obligations without prescribing minimum or maximum thresholds. Such teaching inevitably requires prudential judgments concerning integration, security, social cohesion, and the common good — precisely the areas over which Catholics today are most deeply divided.
At a time when Europe’s migration debate is hardening and divisions are deepening to the point of threatening the unity of the Church, the question is no longer simply whether Catholics should welcome the stranger or defend the continuity of nations and cultures. It is whether the Church can speak credibly both to Europeans who feel dispossessed of their future and to the migrant who, more often than not, does not know Christ.
Leo’s address at the “Roots of Europe” conference may offer a first indication of how he intends to navigate between these two realities in an increasingly tense European context.
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Look at the familiar double talk of the bishop of Rome (and his fellow bishops):
“While maintaining the firm defense of migrants that characterized Francis’ pontificate, he has also given unusual prominence to the responsibilities of migrants and the legitimate concerns of the societies that receive them.”
IN FACT, WHAT CHRISTIANITY TEACHES, AS ST. THOMAS AQUINAS MADE CLEAR FOR US,
is that “SHOWING HOSPITALITY TO WAYFARERS IS DIFFERENT FROM OFFERING THEMPERMANENT RESETTLEMENT.”
And that,
“EVERY HUMAN BEING HAVING DIGNITY DOES NOT IMMEDIATELY AND OBVIOUSLY SUPERSEDE THE SOVEREIGNTY OF NATIONS,” “STATESMEN HAVE A SACRED DUTY TO SAFEGUARD THE POLITICAL COMMON GOOD OF THEIR COUNTRY, AND THIS WILL SOMETIMES MEAN RESTRICTING WHO CAN LEGALLY ENTER AND REMAIN IN THEIR COUNTRIES.”
Again, Christianity teaches us “to welcome strangers” but does not teach us to allow them to enter and then make themselves at home and stay in our houses or country without permission and close scrutiny (THE WHOLE POINT OF REQUIRING ALIENS TO APPLY FOR A VISA IF THEY WANT TO ENTER ONE’S COUNTRY)–because in our houses and countries we live with our wives and children and families and neighbors and we do not want to even risk harming us and them in any possible way. So the article is mistaken in stating that we are “torn between the Christian imperative to welcome the stranger and growing concerns over the social, cultural, and security consequences of mass immigration.” No, we are not torn. One thing does not conflict with the other.
For this clarification of the all too common obfuscation of the truth made by CC bishops and others, confusing “hospitality” with allowing people to enter and stay in a nation (where our wife and children and family live!) without permission and scrutiny (THE WHOLE POINT OF REQURING FOREIGNERS TO APPLY FOR A VISA AT A CONOSULATE OR EMBASSY), see
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2026/09/10/catholic-theologian-takes-job-in-trumps-department-of-homeland-security/
These are just a few of the consequences of allowing aliens (“migrants,” as the weasel word refers to them) TO ENTER A COUNTRY WITHOUT FIRST APPLYING AND BEING GRANTED A VISA AT A CONSULATE OR EMBASSY—the legal and indeed moral procedure for a “migrant”–a legal and moral procedure never mentioned by the CC bishops or the bishop of Rome.
SEX CRIME RISES ACROSS EUROPE AS WESTERN NATIONS TOP THE LIST
FIGURES REVEAL A WIDENING DIVIDE BETWEEN HIGH-CRIME WESTERN STATES AND FAR LOWER RATES IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE.
ROMAIN PERROCHEAU / AFP
New figures from Eurostat show that sexual violence offences across Europe continued to rise in 2024, with sharp differences between Western and Eastern countries likely to intensify debate over the link between crime and migration.
Police recorded 256,302 SEXUAL VIOLENCE OFFENCES IN 2024, INCLUDING 98,190 CASES OF RAPE.
This represents a 5% increase in sexual violence overall and a 7% rise in rape compared with 2023.
OVER THE PAST DECADE, THE TREND HAS BEEN SHARPLY UPWARD: SEXUAL VIOLENCE OFFENCES HAVE NEARLY DOUBLED SINCE 2014, WHILE RAPE CASES HAVE SURGED BY 150%.
A breakdown by population highlights striking regional disparities.
Nordic and Western European countries dominate the top of the list, with Sweden reporting 200.98 cases of sexual violence per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Iceland, Finland, France, and Belgium.
By contrast, several Central and Eastern European countries, WHICH PROTECT THEMSELVES VS ILLAAL ALIENS AND SUFFER FAR LOWER RATES OF ILLEGAL ALIENS, report significantly lower rates, including Hungary (5.10), Lithuania (5.79), and North Macedonia (7.17).
Similar patterns appear in other categories of crime.
SPAIN, BELGIUM, PORTUGAL, FRANCE, AND GERMANY RANK AMONG THE HIGHEST FOR ROBBERY, BURGLARY, AND THEFT, WHILE MONTENEGRO, SLOVAKIA, AND HUNGARY SIT AT THE LOWER END.
Drug-related offences also show similar gaps, with Sweden, France, and Belgium reporting far higher rates than countries such as Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia.
Rising crime levels in Western Europe have been increasingly linked to increased migration. Reports from countries such as Spain, Italy, France, and Germany have indicated that foreign nationals are overrepresented among suspects in certain categories of violent crime.
IN FRANCE, NON-EUROPEAN FOREIGNERS MAKE UP 5.7% OF THE FRENCH POPULATION, BUT ACCOUNT FOR 14% OF HOMICIDES AND UP TO 30% OF VEHICLE THEFTS.
In several German states, including Bavaria, Berlin, and Baden-Württemberg, roughly half of all suspects in violent crimes are non-German nationals.
AS WE REPORTED EARLIER, REPORTS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE HAVE INCREASED ALONGSIDE RISING IMMIGRATION LEVELS IN COUNTRIES SUCH AS SPAIN, ITALY, FRANCE, BELGIUM, AND GERMANY.
https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/sex-crime-rises-across-europe-as-western-nations-top-the-list/
The left wingers and even the “compassionate” (towards the illegals but not towards the victims, for whom thee are no marches, no proclamations, no prayaers…) CC claim unemployment etc. as reasons for the rising crime by “migrants” (the weasel word normally used to refer to illegal aliens). How unemployment would relate to wanting to rape a child, a woman or even a man is not explained.
“To the extent they are able” to admit foreigners does not, presumably, include laying your national head on a cultural and economic chopping block. The bottom line is foreigners have no “right” to enter another country to loot it of resources intended for it’s own citizens, many of whom may be as poor or as disadvantaged as the foreigners forcing themselves in illegally. Further, these third world countries offer little of value in exchange. The era of the country needing the strong but ignorant ended roughly 100 years ago. The incoming population in fact has a tendency to drag the host nation down by nearly every measure, and come from cultures where corruption is an established way of life.
Americans who can see this for the unearned wealth transfer that it really is will hopefully make certain to get out to vote. Dont be fooled by empty communist/dem promises which are easily made and never fulfilled. The future of your children, grandchildren and the country are at stake. America first . Its time for OTHER countries to take care of their own.
I’m not prescribing open borders but we still need people in the labor force and our birthrates aren’t much better today than Norway’s. Our local harvest would screech to a halt minus migrant workers.
Strong and less educated isn’t something that can’t be remedied. Less educated doesn’t mean ignorant. And in one generation the children of immigrants who lacked formal education will be educated themselves and speak the language of the nation they live in.
I’ve seen that pattern repeated in my own family’s history. I’ve lost track of how many ancestors were illiterate and went on to be very successful themselves or raise families who became assets to their communities.
One of my illiterate colonial great grandmothers produced a Pulitzer Prize winner and Poet Laureate.
1.The very moment an illegal sneaks in, he or she demonstrates his or her lack of respect for a neighbor’s rights. This is not the kind of person one wants as a neighbor.
2. ALL ILLEGALS cause lowering wages for Americans,
crowding schools,
overtaxing health systems,
raising rents and housing costs,
WITH 50% OF ILLEGAL ALIEN FAMILIES ON WELFARE, far higher than the average for non illegals,
not to mention the STEALING OF BILLIOS OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS AS IN MINNESOTA AND CALIFORNIA,
Or “non-violelnt crimes” such as
DWI, fraud, theft, identity theft, drug trafficking, child pornography possession, and some forms of human trafficking and child molestation.
3.Automation is reducing the need for workers, so the illegals further reduce wages for Americans.
4. The legal and moral way to come work here is to apply and be granted a working visa, not to sneak through our frontiers.
5. So the “need for workers” argument to justify illegal entry does not work.
Our previous administration basically invited them to come, Mr. Oscar. Also coached them how to turn themselves in, request asylum, & get a court hearing date.
Many folks really are in danger & in need of asylum. Others not as much. But we played a part in all this mess. Lives were lost migrating up here. Migrants were assaulted, robbed , & extorted. The cartels made huge profits.It’s no way to run border security.I agree with you-it should be done safely & legally.
And if we offer too much free stuff to immigrants, that’s on us. Migrants aren’t forcing anyone to give them social benefits. I think everyone should carry their own weight. Including able bodied Americans.
Agreed, Mrs.Cracker.
It’s strange because they are sometimes treated better than our own citizens. For instance, they were crying foul when the kids were getting separated from their moms. How often do you hear the same people complaining when American moms go to jail and are separated from their kids? How about all that damage in New York to the hotels – who pays for that? — likely federal dollars.
You know, I keep hearing how these illegal immigrants are hard workers doing the work that we Americans won’t do.
.
How then do they need welfare benefits?
.
Sigh. I do get it. We recently had some folks laying fiber optic cable in the neighborhood for some organization. And they didn’t speak English. Even the “white guy” who was sent door to door to ask permission to step onto people’s lawns didn’t speak English, at least not well enough that my husband could understand what he was truly asking.
.
How does one go about getting a construction or farm job? That isn’t something taught in school. Not that they teach much in school. Michigan public schools have sunk to roughly 50% literacy rate for new High School graduates.
Good morning, by the way. Nice to “see” you.
Thank you, Mr. Oscar.
Nice to “see” you, too. Mrs. Hess.
🙂
One of my children has a job teaching reading & writing to illiterate (US citizen) adults.Hopefully eventually they’ll be able to get a GED.
I read in the news today that 50% of Americans read below a 6th Grade level.
The fact that the previous administration “invited” them is not relevant. That doesn’t absolve them from the simple fact that they clearly and intentionally violated federal law. You keep raising the issue of cartels, but that is also ultimately irrelevant and not a legitimate excuse.
We don’t need laborers, particularly those who are unskilled and uneducated. We are a nation of 330 million people.
Apples, for instance, still need to be picked by hand or they get bruised and won’t last. We have to have a working visa system that’s run by bureaucrats with common sense.
65 million of these people receive social security benefits out of the number you note.
Agreed. My point simply is that we are not in a worker shortage currently. Maybe instead of importing unskilled and uneducated migrants, we could restore a sense of personal responsibility and a vibrant work ethic back into our culture. We seem to have lost that somewhere along the way.
PART of the problem with the birthrate is that entire industries have been built on open and illegal migration that drive out native citizens. Drink to dull the hangover is just dumb.
Inveterate ass John McCain, who abandoned his wife for second, then abandoned the second after he returned from Vietnam and found her somewhat less attractive due to a car accident she suffered while waiting for his return famously made the statement nobody was willing to pick lettuce. Of course, like any other jog, pay enough and you’ll have plenty of top notch applicants.
I can tell you most Americans cannot/will not pick crops or square bale hay or pick stones; they last about 1/2 day. They also won’t clean stalls. I saw a CBS news report 30 years ago and they were interviewing a farmer in CA – he pointed to a Mexican and said he makes about $30 per hour but Americans haven’t wanted that work since the 1950s.
When I was a stranger and homeless, you welcomed me – Says the Lord.
The Bishop of Rome understands well the proper meaning of the Lord’s words.
That is why
He punishes severely any illegal entering the Vatican grounds, and why the bishop of Rome keeps the Vatican walls, and why the bishop of Rome keeps the Swiss guards around the Vatican with heavy automatic weapons:
Vatican Promises Stiff Penalties for Illegal Aliens Crossing its Border
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2025/01/16/vatican-promises-stiff-penalties-for-illegal-aliens-crossing-its-border/
The bishop of Rome correctly understands that the Lord’s words mean that
“SHOWING HOSPITALITY TO WAYFARERS IS DIFFERENT FROM OFFERING THEM PERMANENT RESETTLEMENT.”
And that,
“EVERY HUMAN BEING HAVING DIGNITY DOES NOT IMMEDIATELY AND OBVIOUSLY SUPERSEDE THE SOVEREIGNTY OF NATIONS,” “STATESMEN HAVE A SACRED DUTY TO SAFEGUARD THE POLITICAL COMMON GOOD OF THEIR COUNTRY, AND THIS WILL SOMETIMES MEAN RESTRICTING WHO CAN LEGALLY ENTER AND REMAIN IN THEIR COUNTRIES–such as the Vatican state.”
For this clarification of the all too common obfuscation of the truth, confusing “hospitality” with allowing people to enter and stay in a nation (where our wife and children and family live!) without permission and scrutiny (THE WHOLE POINT OF REQURING FOREIGNERS TO APPLY FOR A VISA AT A CONOSULATE OR EMBASSY), see
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2026/09/10/catholic-theologian-takes-job-in-trumps-department-of-homeland-security/
“EVERY HUMAN BEING HAVING DIGNITY DOES NOT IMMEDIATELY AND OBVIOUSLY SUPERSEDE THE SOVEREIGNTY OF NATIONS,”
The dignity of the Human person given by God when He created us in His image supersedes ALL human laws.
Predictably wrong. Human dignity is endowed, but it is also rejected through sins, among which is the rejection of God given principles enshrined in legitimate statutory laws of how we ought to order our lives together. Responding to truth and to justice is responding to God, and the falsified understanding that speaks of “infinite dignity” of humanity implicitly ignores the suffering of God.
Word salad but thanks..
Dignity does, but that doesn’t give people the right to violate federal immigration law. That’s called being a criminal.
Gods law superceeds human law.
What about the repentant robber to the side of Jesus who said he was getting what he deserved, but Jesus wasn’t?
Dignity isn’t immunity from interdiction when you fail to observe legitimate civil law. Try skipping out on a Form 1040 amount due and see if you can waltz in to the revenue agent’s office and claim no law supercedes your dignity.
I admire your effort at displacing Gerard as the CWR Vi, though.
When even strangers lived in the same domain, unlike 2,000 years later with the formation of constitutional nation-states and their corresponding boundaries. A complicated situation, today, which certainly does not replace your point, but which also certainly is not reducible to such a point.
Absolutely but that’s a different thing than not securing a nation’s borders.
We Christians can all practice the hospitality to strangers that the Lord advised, without waiting for the “government” (meaning taxpayers money) or “Catholic Charities” (which also get huge amounts of taxpayers money) to do it for us by practicing it with illegal aliens (“migrants”).
All we have to do is invite into our home, say, for dinner, one or more of the many homeless strangers in the Democrat run cities. There are plenty of people like that who would welcome our Christian hospitality and kindness in our own home.
This does not mean to offer them permanent resettlement in our home. All we have to do is invite them in for some hospitality. That is what the Lord meant. Individual action. Not for nations to open borders to a mass invasion of strangers.
So, try it. Invite a homeless stranger in. If with children, even better and more kind.
Let us be an example of Christian hospitality and charity. Personally. Individually. As the Lord surely meant it. He did not mean open national borders for a mass invasion of strangers.
Dr. Coelho: Not exactly the same thing as invading populations demanding immediate and permanent privileged status with no submission to the laws of invaded lands.
You need to offer your home to some of the nice fellows invading Spain.
We Christians can all practice the hospitality to strangers that the Lord advised, without waiting for the “government” (meaning taxpayers money) or “Catholic Charities” (which also get huge amounts of taxpayers money) to do it for us by practicing it with illegal aliens (“migrants”).
All we have to do is invite into our home, say, for dinner, one or more of the many homeless strangers in the Democrat run cities. There are plenty of people like that who would welcome our hospitality and kindness in our own home.
This does not mean to offer them permanent resettlement in our home. All we have to do is invite them in for some hospitality.
So, try it. Invite a homeless stranger in. If with children, even better and more kind.
Let us be an example of Christian hospitality and charity. Personally. Individually. As the Lord surely meant it. He did not mean open national borders for a mass invasion of strangers.
I think the Lord meant both our homes and the border. He didn’t seem to mince words or negotiate His commands.
The sort of sanctimonious twaddle offered from leftist Boomers living in gated communities.
Whitmer spent a million putting a fence around the governor’s mansion after she was nearly attacked. Later, she wanted citizens to take in refugees into their homes. Some asked how many she was taking in.
So how many illegals have you invited into your own home, or are you just virtue signaling as usual?
He had common sense though, when he instructed, Do unto others as you would have done to yourself.
How many illegal aliens can Europe absorb before the quality of life is diminished? Probably not that many. We are actually better off than Europe because most of our illegal aliens are Christians vs. Muslims in Europe.
The quality of life on earth isn’t a concern in the Christian duty to practice radical hospitality.
Teach all these skeptics a lesson with your example.
Invite into your home, say, for dinner, now and then, one or more of the many homeless strangers in any Democrat run city. There are plenty of people like that who would welcome your hospitality and kindness in your own home.
This does not mean to offer them permanent resettlement in our home. All you have to do is invite them in for some hospitality.
So, try it. Invite a homeless stranger in. If with children, even better and more kind.
Let us all be an example of Christian hospitality and charity. Personally.
It’s not a sin to not allow mentally ill or high people into your home. They don’t want to come into your home many times.
Progressives believe it is a “sin” to allow the mentally compromised to be born in the first place.
How often have you offered your hovel and pantry to somebody as an act of “radical hospitality”? Maybe offered them one of your box wines?
You first. After all you seem to know everything. As a world expert do tell us how you practice radical hospitality. Put up or shut up as the kids say.
Hospitality includes supporting self-sufficiency in the lands of the downtrodden. You’re welcome to contribute to the ongoing expenses of the water treatment plant I financed in a third world country. The filtration systems require routine replacement.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. You’re pontificating but not already practicing what you preach?. What am I missing here?
Suzanne Lee from the protestant wing of the Church has weighed in with her usual watped ideas about reality. Go back to sleep, Suzanne.
Suzanne,First, you need to provide bona fides of how exactly you put into practice “radical hospitality”. Start off by telling us how many homeless mentally ill persons you have living with you.
When you have done this, you can regale us with your leftist virtue signaling.
How many have you served today? Or have you been self satisfied in slumber?
That’s true, Mr. William. In a large part of the US, Hispanic immigrants blend right in. A great deal of what’s now the USA used to belong to Spain & Mexico. It’s not a foreign culture, faith, or ethnicity. But immigration & work/residency permits should be done legally for everyone’s safety, including our neighbors across the border.
We’re headed for bankruptcy
The bond market was in a bad way a couple weeks ago, but seems to have stabilized. Maybe Mr. Pitchforks understands what happened with the Treasury buyback??
We need workers for agriculture, landscaping, and other such jobs. The illegal aliens need work. Why can’t we have some sort of “guest worker program?” I think we had something like this in the 1950’s?
We still do. And all the jobs you cite can be filled with unemployed Americans. It is a pervasive juvenile lie of lazy liberals, incapable of conceiving of what it means to work hard, that Americans don’t desire to do such jobs.
If you’d like to read a story about the difficulty type “Michigan farmers squeezed by wage hikes under migrant worker program” May 12, 2024 in your favorite search engine. Theres an extensive Detroit News story on the issue. It includes hiw these excessive rates can hurt the migrant families as well.
Meatpacking, slaughterhouses and other such jobs are largely filled with immigrants (often illegal). It’s nasty work and Americans simply do not want to do this. The CEO’s of these companies frankly admit that they rely on immigrant labor. What’s your solution.
We used to have a large poultry processing plant in a little town up the road. They originally hired US citizens but fewer & fewer Americans wanted that kind of work. So they hired Eastern European immigrants, then later Hispanic workers.
Smaller family owned or cooperative slaughterhouses employ family members and others in the community. US citizens don’t seem to mind working in the smaller operations. We have one nearby.
We do need immigrant labor but it should be done legally to protect everyone.
Thank you Knowall for pointing this out to us. Very important. I found this:
Michigan farmers are facing severe financial strain due to rising labor costs under the federal H-2A temporary agricultural worker program, specifically the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR). The base hourly wage for migrant workers reached $18.50 in 2024, representing an 85% increase since 2008 and significantly outpacing both inflation and general private sector wage growth.
When accounting for mandatory housing and transportation expenses, the actual cost to farmers rises by approximately 65%, bringing the total hourly expense to roughly $30. This surge occurs while commodity prices remain stagnant and farms compete with low-cost foreign imports, leading many multi-generational family farms to warn they may be forced to cease operations within one to two years.
In response, Congressman John Moolenaar A REPUBLICAN, and other bipartisan lawmakers have introduced legislation to freeze the AEWR at 2023 levels through 2025 (or 2026 in later iterations) to provide immediate relief and stabilize the agricultural workforce. The debate highlights a conflict between maintaining wage protections for workers and preventing the collapse of the state’s labor-intensive agriculture industry.
John Moolenaar is a Republican politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Michigan’s 2nd Congressional District since 2023 (previously representing the 4th District from 2015 to 2023). Born in 1961, he is a member of the House Committee on Appropriations and serves as the Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.
William, we all can use a household servant. I suggest the government assign each taxpayer a live-in domestic servant to do the menial tasks all of us hate. I could use a servant as: food shopper, cook, bathroom maintenance, lawn boy, all around gal-Friday. What say ye?
William, you say: “Meatpacking, slaughterhouses and other such jobs are largely filled with immigrants (often illegal). It’s nasty work and Americans simply do not want to do this.”
Which Americans? Sociological reductionisms are always simplistic. I went to college on a scholarship, but I earned my spending money as an auto mechanic on Saturdays when I could, since most shops are closed. When I couldn’t, I took all manner of sloppy work type jobs whenever and wherever I could get them. Many “Americans” of today are just as resourceful if not more. If there were no illegal immigrants today, do you think we would all go meatless?
For France the difference from migration into Germany differs radically due to the lengthy period of French presence since 1830 in N Africa and the Muslim Maghreb. Migrants from the Maghreb began arriving in significant numbers during the late 1800s allowing for a long period of assimilation.
More recent migrants from the same region have arrived with seeming less intent to assimilate due to multiple reasons, one the growing sense of Muslim identity and intent to retain both culture and beliefs alien to European culture. Germany had invited Turkish migration post WWII due to losses of manpower during the war and to assist in Germany’s industrial recovery. That plus Angela Merkel’s policy of open borders, a policy that Helmut Kohl her mentor advised against.
Both nations have suffered violent attacks on their citizenry and are compromised by large areas resistant and hostile to assimilation. How this problem can be addressed in terms of cultural interdependence and peace doesn’t appear a reasonable possibility.
Pope Leo XIV should view this issue realistically with a form of religious realpolitik. Migration as touted by his predecessor spells the deathknell for Europe as the historic center of Christianity.