Something called the "Cypress Creek Interfaith Coalition for Economic Development" wants to establish a day laborer site in northwest Houston; their members include the Cypress Creek Christian Church (associate pastor: Franklin Moore) and perhaps the Catholic Church. A public meeting was held last night, and the following clip has Deacon Sam Dunning from the Houston Archdiocese of the Catholic Church (diogh.org/socialjustice_sec_socialjustice.htm) supporting the center and taking questions from the audience. He appears to be quite a piece of work, and I encourage all those in the Houston area to publicly ask him tougher questions based on his statements and designed to discredit him:

In addition to the questions here and here, some possibilities include:

* Are you claiming that Mexicans are "oppressed and persecuted" as the Jews were in Egypt? (Are you serious?)

* "Reform" would mandate enforcement, yet you compare enforcing our current laws to slavery and segregation. Once again, are you serious?

* Can't Mexicans obtain a "good life" in Mexico? Considering that five billion or so people are worse off than Mexicans, what about their chances at a "good life"? Isn't it absurd for you to suggest that the only way for Mexicans to have a "good life" is to come to the U.S.?

* Aren't there huge differences between past immigration and the current variety? Doesn't the Mexican government have a great deal of political power inside the U.S. due to, among other things, politicians and non-profits having links to that government and serving to varying degrees as de facto agents for that government? Doesn't that qualify as, to a certain extent, the Mexican government "colonizing" parts of the U.S.?

11/03/07 UPDATE: The AP offers what's called here "More Illegal Immigrant Women Taking Domestic Jobs":

..."These people can be very, very vulnerable, particularly if they're not documented," said Sam Dunning, who oversees social justice programs for the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. "If there's any dispute over working conditions, they have very little recourse..."

It sounds like Dunning should oppose illegal immigration then. Instead, he supports it.