Among Mormons, a deep divide on immigration - Los Angeles Times: "'This country is the greatest nation on Earth because God had a hand in its formation,' said (Stephen)Sandstrom, 47, Utah state representative) 'A lot of that is because … we obey the rule of law. Turning a blind eye to illegal immigration jeopardizes the rule of law.'
At the Yapias family table in Peru, eldest son Tony felt the strain of a family divided. His father labored seven years in the United States as a sheepherder in Idaho before the family won permission to join him when Tony was 14. The separation ultimately destroyed his parents' marriage.
When he became an adult, Yapias joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, drawn by the religion's emphasis on family. The intersection of the church and his childhood led the 44-year-old to a very different position on illegal immigration than Sandstrom's.
'Every immigrant understands the pain and suffering of any family that's separated,' Yapias said. 'When Sandstrom or anyone else starts talking, it just opens up wounds.... What I don't understand is how Sandstrom doesn't get it — how two people of the same faith can be so far apart.'" Dec. 31, 2010
The MexicoBlog of the Americas Program, a fiscally sponsored program of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), is written by Laura Carlsen. I monitor and analyze international press on Mexico, with a focus on security, immigration, human rights and social movements for peace and justice, from a feminist perspective. And sometimes I simply muse.
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