mormon church-stay out of it- it is none of your business

As a member of the LDS church, I have conflicting feelings about the immigration situation. I do feel if the illegals are illegal (which they are) they should return to Mexico and come back legally through the system. After reading the above statement supposedly written by someone representing the views of the LDS church, I will have to follow my own conscience rather than the wishes of the Church, because I still do not know what the LDS Church stands for. I was hoping they would make it a little clearer. We are also taught to follow our political leaders and follow the laws of the land. In that case the laws of the land dictate the the illegals be returned to Mexico - no if ands or buts.

Why is it that the government has given us 2 options? Either "amnesty" and all illegals become citizens and have the right to vote OR expel them all back to their homeland, a very difficult and pricey option. Why can't there be a middle road. All illegal aliens who are in the country, worked, paid taxes and stayed free from law entanglements, with no felonies can receive a work visa for ten years, and if you don't register by certain date, your amnesty time is out and out you go if you get caught, companies can't hire you, not entitled to medical treatment at hospitals, the works! I know many illegals who are hard working and worthy of staying as I know a few who should be in jail. A friend of the family was killed by an illegal alien, driving drunk, crossed the middle line and head on with our friend who was killed instantly. For his deed, the illegal spent 60 days in jail and deported back to Mexico. I am sure he is across again under a new identity. Not right. Illegal is illegal, yet we can show compassion on those that have shown they are good, hard working people. We don't have to give them citizenship or the right to vote, which scares me and many others. We simply give them work visas, fingerprint them, open a file and document where they are, like what it's suppose to be. Make it easier for those that have waited, legally, to get here and be done with it. Peace!

Then you have the situation a couple of years ago where the released missionary was picked up at the airport in Ohio as he was finishing his mission and deported from there. The Church authorities HAD to know that he was illegal when he was called on his mission. Another friend who is in a Stake Presidency talked to a Church lawyer in SLC about this situation and was told that illegal immigration in the Church is a "grey area" for the Church. Why is that?

Yes, you are supposed to. You've just admitted to being a horrible American citizen, but a nice warm and fuzzy person. I'd rather be an ass and do what's right for the country that has given me the freedoms and liberties I enjoy. Sometimes you have to do what's right over being useless dead weight. I'm appalled that you would even call them friends. But then it's obviously not offensive to you how much you pay for they steal away from you and other real Americans.

Sounds like the church is not taking a position and staying out of the problem and solution making. All its asking is the best possible humane solution. The interest of the Church is the welfare of God's Children, even the illegal ones. I believe the Church doesn't offer any aid to illegal immigrants. I have friends who are both illegal immigrants and church members, am I suppose to turn them in? They are law abiding people except for the fact that they got here illegally. I don't think they would have made it through the legal process. If they had a way to become a American Citizens they would do so in a heart beat. The current legal way of becoming American is nearly impossible to meet the criteria. The current legal mechanisms need to be adjusted, otherwise you will only have more and more people come here illegally.

The 12th Article of Faith would have been a better statement. Scott Wohlgemuth

Compassion and all that are one thing, but it's too bad that those who want leniency aren't the only ones paying the bills. We're spending hundreds of billions on Spanish education, Medicaid, WIC, subsidized housing, food stamps, and all the rest, and it's going to get worse as the "anchor babies" take hold and new generations of Latinos demand all the goodies that the taxpayers can possibly provide. Meanwhile, the cheap-labor lobby and the cheap-liberal-votes lobby keep pushing for more influx, and let the taxpayer fill the gaps by being "humane" and coughing up whenever called upon. The ACLU is/was suing the Salt Lake School District for not teaching enough Spanish, so we've seen it rapidly devolve into absolute insanity. It has to stop somewhere. Those who equate consistant welfare with Christian charity should be traveling to the third-world countries and offering up their own private funds, not putting the rest of us on the hook for every demand conceivable. We're putting future generations in jeopardy by spending hundreds of billions trying to completely change the Mid-East, while the third-world invaders are gradually grinding our culture and society to fine dust over here on our own continent. It is totally lunacy--but we've proven we're dumb enough to let it keep happening. I guess when Adolph Hitler was on his rampage, maybe we should have been more accepting and let him change the entire world to his way of thinking--then we'd all be speaking German and goose stepping, and we wouldn't even have to worry about maintaining any culture or freedom.

Compared to the typical "church statement" released by religious organizations, the LDS Church's "statement" is almost a non-statement. For once, a religious organization is not telling people what policy to espouse. It is urging them to discuss the issue with civility and care, and to keep in mind all those affected. If nothing else, it is a reminder to think of those involved as "God's children," rather than whatever default slur comes up whenever immigration is being discussed.

Once again everyone is missing the point. Millions of childrens social security and personal identification are stolen each year and sold to an illegal immigrant hispanic or not. Fraud is committed and illegal trespassing is condoned by the bleeding hearts.You wouldn't allow folks to break in your home and steal your indentity and aid and assist them I hope. But we do and I'm afraid our land is lost to liberalsgenda,to sheep like americans who won't get involved our grandparents will be ashamed of the way we treat our freedom they fought for. I'm a person who came here from Europe the right way why can't they?