SEEKING INPUT FOR “AMNESTY” STATEMENT
A Message from David DeCosse, Director of Campus Ethics Programs Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University:
I’m writing here to invite your input for an effort called “The Santa Clara Statement on Ethics, Amnesty, and Immigration: A Memo to the 2008 Candidates.”
We at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University envision the creation of a 600 to 750-word statement that responds to the central ethical and legal arguments behind the claims that the legalization of the undocumented immigrants in the United States is an unacceptable “amnesty.”
We believe that such arguments are at the core of the stalemate in the current immigration debate in the U.S. We hope the creation, publication, and dissemination of such a statement will provide a resource for political candidates around the country. We’re under no illusions that such a statement in itself can quickly change the emotionally-loaded debate over immigration. But we also believe that the arguments that invoke the threat of “amnesty” should be addressed, and we believe that such an effort could in time influence the policy debate.
The statement that we envision would combine both ethical and legal analysis. We believe that beneath the legal arguments against amnesty are crucial questions of values and ethics. So, in particular, I am interested in seeking input from those visiting this site in response to the following questions:
1. What do you think are the central arguments that are being used when people say that any legalization effort is an unacceptable “amnesty”?
2. What do you think are key weaknesses/strengths of these arguments — in ethical terms, in legal terms?
3. Are there any key resources to which you would point us for crucial background on this matter?
PLEASE SEND ANY RESPONSES — EVEN BRIEF ONES WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL — TO DDECOSSE@SCU.EDU
We are planning to draft this statement on Thursday, April 24, here at Santa Clara University. This meeting will be part of a day on campus devoted to a series of events on immigration, culminating in a speech that evening on ethical issues and immigration by Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano.
David DeCosse
Director of Campus Ethics Programs Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
Santa Clara University T:408-554-5715 F:408-554-2373 ddecosse@scu.edu
KJ