19 December 2005
The Washington Post reports on a possible Republican-sponsored bill, which passed the House on Friday, which would criminalize giving assistance to illegal immigrants. If the bill becomes law, it would affect a number of non-profit and religious organizations such as Humane Borders, No More Deaths and the Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program, which help the thousands of immigrants who cross the border each year not add to the number — already in the hundreds — of those who die en route. Among the “outrageous acts” that the bill would make illegal, would be the sheltering (“harboring”) of migrant workers in churches or homes, and possibly even helping dying or severely ill immigrants receive medical attention.