By Patty Kupfer. Originally posted at America’s Voice blog.
A U.S. News and World Report article this week speaks to the growing chorus of religious conservatives standing up for comprehensive immigration reform:
Many of the same faith-based groups attacking Obama and the Democrats (on other issues), including the National Association of Evangelicals, the Southern Baptist Convention, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, are poised to become major players in the president’s coming push for comprehensive immigration reform, which would include a path to citizenship for many illegal immigrants. “There is a strong biblical teaching about showing hospitality to the stranger and the alien,” says (National Association of Evangelicals chief lobbyist Galen) Carey.
Carey’s organization, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), made news earlier this month when its board unanimously passed a resolution in support of reform.
The detailed resolution outlines what the Association describes as the “Biblical Foundations” of the case for reform—as NAE president Leith Anderson reminded reporters:
Jesus was a refugee.
But the resolution also addresses the “modern realities” of immigration, and its “Call to Action” includes seven specific policy recommendations. Here’s a sampling of them:
- That the government establish a sound, equitable process toward earned legal status for currently undocumented immigrants, who desire to embrace the responsibilities and privileges that accompany citizenship.
- That the government establish more functional legal mechanisms for the annual entry of a reasonable number of immigrant workers and families.
- That the government recognize the central importance of the family in society by reconsidering the number and categories of visas available for family reunification, by dedicating more resources to reducing the backlog of cases in process, and by reevaluating the impact of deportation on families.
You can read the full resolution here.
The NAE, which represents 40 denominations and tens of millions of evangelical Christians, is a key player in the moderate to conservative Christian movement, but it’s hardly a given that it would come out so forcefully for reform. In 2006, it released a short, vague statement without firm policy recommendations—and in 2007, the last time Congress considered reform legislation, the NAE was silent.
Evangelical leaders have quickly grown to recognize immigrants’ struggles because they’ve gotten to know them as neighbors and congregants, and looked past superficial differences of race and status to find shared values.
The recent resolution refers to Evangelical immigrants as “brothers and sisters” whose “presence is a blessing of God.”
That such a transformation has happened so rapidly—from silence two years ago to enthusiastic support of reform now—demonstrates that the faith community is truly achieving consensus on the moral foundations of this issue. Mainstream people of faith, on both sides of the aisle, believe that the immigration system needs to be reformed—and soon—for the sake of human dignity. They have embraced the immigrants among them, and now they’re urging the government to do the same. As the “Call to Action” from the NAE statement says:
Exemplary treatment of immigrants by Christians can serve as the moral basis to call for government attitudes and legislation to reflect the same virtues.
Tags: christians, conservative christians for immigration reform, immigration reform, national association of evangelicals
How ignorant are posters who make broad assumptions and generalize. All immigrants that I know are just what this country need, hardworking, moral and responsible human beings. They are not stealing jobs but the opposite; they are giving much more for the pay they are getting. They all pay taxes and use far less (if any) federal assistance (which would not make up for the exploitation many of them go thru).
Also many loudmouths are using confusing rhetoric like “Legal” VS “Illegal” immigration, to polarize and further their hidden agenda. Immigration in the current system is a gray area, not black and white as in Legal or Illegal (which is easier to digest by the common folk not close to the issue). I have being here for 30 years always paid taxes, never used any federal assistance, luckily always being offered a better job, never had to look for one, even started business that employ US citizens. Most of people that I know had given the best referrals from me and my family as deserving citizens with the moral, ethical and Christian values under which this nation was formed. Now to the center of all this debate about reform, I still don’t have a permanent residence card. I hold a work permit, renewed every year (illegal? legal?, either way I’m stuck with not knowing if tomorrow I’ll be sent back to a now unfamiliar country where I spent fewer years than here. My kids are born US citizens the older, a gifted student doing lots of things for her community/country. Up until now, no resolution to my case and without reform I may be forced out of this country, out of our home and business after 30 years. Despite all of these years of service to this country, I don’t have the rights that citizens or even permanent residents have. I can’t go back to my country of origin to see my mother or even the funeral of my father in law, can’t vote, I pay 5 times higher property taxes than my neighbors, pay tons of money in immigration attorneys etc. I’m also not an exceptional case, there are 100’s of thousands of cases similar to mine, you tell me what is Just and Unjust, Legal or Illegal. We need a reform to this broken system. “Legal Immigration” is just the label, the rhetoric used to propagate xenophobia on people ignorant on the details or only exposed to a single point of view.
How do you define “Legal Immigration” to people that by many generations have come here to build this nation? My grandfather was recruited in his own town by American companies to come and work to this country, they even paid for his transportation, he left a life of hard work to later comeback without any additional benefit to the country he was born. My father came to work too and was welcomed by his employers here when he was young. Most of immigrants that come here don’t do it to do something “Illegal” (oh yeah let’s commit a crime) by the contrary , they come to give every drop of sweat for this country, they/we give so much more than what we possibly could take away. Again this is not the exception but the rule. There are a few bad apples too but don’t use them as the only examples to promote your xenophobia.
Excuse me, “Undocumented Immigrants” are not refugees; they are like what Jesus warned about – theives that break in and steal. They are not invited and all they do is take jobs and/or social services that should be for Americans and legal residents ONLY. When faced with punishment for a serious crime, they often shirk responsibility and flee across our southern border. How “Christlike” is that?
I could say so much more, but I’ll only say one more thing – instead of Catholic priests molesting children (apparently that work is now beneath them), we now have illegal aliens to take their place, and they seem to be doing a very good job of it, so far!
Techno Dan
Jesus was a refugee. Illegal Immigrants are NOT refugees.
For God’s sake, how far will you go. Comparing ILLEGAL immigrants
in any way shape or form to Jesus, or to refer to them as refugees
is absurd.
Strict Immigration laws are necessary to avoid chaos, and maintain security.
Immigration is fine. Do it LEGALLY and at a pace that this country can
deal with the implications.
Jesus may have been a refuge but he certainly didn’t use someone’s SSN to work and obtain credit. If our country needs the illegal aliens then give assign to them a personal identifier. Let them use the ITIN number they apply from the IRS to file their illegally earned income. Let them work with the ITIN number since they can already file taxes with a W2 with their name and an American’s SSN on it. Let them even buy homes with a W2 with their name and ITIN. At least then they are not buying a SSN on the streets that maybe a real American’s SSN on it. Better yet, let them come out of the shadows, assign them an ITIN number and make them pay to stay or work in our country. Then the government can let the illegal aliens pay into the system. Don’t let them collect SSA benefits or food stamps. Make employers keep a list and make them report all illegal aliens they hire to Homeland Security, ICE and the Department of Labor. How about that! Then I can stop calling them illegal aliens, our federal government does not have to call them “undocumented workers”. Above all, I won’t have some illegal alien using a W2 with my SSN on it to screw up the SSA and IRS data bases. Then the illegal alien can’t get a home loan or other credit with MT SSN. Make it a law that the IRS and SSA have to pay me restitution when they keep collecting taxes from an illegal alien working with their name and MT SSN. I guess the illegals don’t want to come out of shadows, they just want to buy our SSN and not have to be held accountable for all the debt they occur using it. They simply go buy another SSN after they get caught using a fraudulent one. New SSN, new credit report, new debts, where does one buy a new SSN after they use yours up???