Originally posted at Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
This month’s edition of Sojourners Magazine, now out, focuses on the issue of immigration reform. Here are some excerpts:
Allison Johnson, campaign coordinator of Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform: “Why we need comprehensive, humane immigration reform—now.”
The United States is a nation fueled by immigrant ingenuity and labor, yet our nation’s citizenship laws have fluctuated from open and generous to restrictive and ethnocentric. After two failed attempts at reform in the last decade, our nation has been living with the consequences of a broken immigration system.
There are currently 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the shadows of our society, in fear of deportation and separation from their families. On the one hand we have increased border militarization, but on the other the government has routinely ignored the entry and existence of unauthorized workers in order to benefit from cheap labor. As many immigration activists say, it is as if we have a sign at the border saying “Keep Out” and a sign in the workplace crying “Help Wanted.”
The faith community has consistently advocated for immigration laws to better reflect the heart of God, which calls us to love and care for the stranger in our midst (Deuteronomy 10:17-19).
Angela Maria Kelley, vice-president for immigration policy and advocacy, and Sally Steenland, senior policy adviser to the faith and progressive policy initiative, at the Center for American Progress: “Seekers of Refuge: The Christian imperative for immigration reform.”
Now, more than at any other time in our recent history, the faith community is playing a vital role in a national policy debate that will test how deeply each of us holds these principled values. Leaders of diverse faiths have called upon Congress to reform the nation’s outdated immigration laws which currently break up families and neighborhoods and treat workers unfairly. Their involvement is crucial because faith leaders have the moral authority to urge that the often caustic immigration issue be handled with civility and respect for fellow human beings.
Gabriel Salguero, pastor of the Lamb’s Church of the Nazarene, New York City, and director of the Hispanic Leadership Program at Princeton Theological Seminary: “’It’s a New Day’: Latino evangelicals help pave the path to citizenship.”
What exactly are Latino evangelicals saying about immigration reform? They have declared the immigration system broken and immoral. First, they have denounced the way the immigration system hurts families. “If we are truly about family values, how can we argue for a system that separates parents from their citizen children?” asks Rev. Joshua Rodriguez, pastor of The Cityline Church in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Second, evangelical Latino leaders couch this issue in terms of a biblical mandate to “welcome and love the stranger.” “How can we say we love the stranger and not provide viable ways for them to become citizens?” asks Rev. Luis Cortés Jr., CEO of Esperanza USA, a network of Latino Christians.
Bob Ekblad, executive director of the People’s Seminary and Tierra Nueva, an ecumenical ministry in Burlington, WA for immigrants, migrant workers, and inmates at Skagit County Jail: “From Strangers to Friends: Where is the opportunity for forgiveness?”
Until ordinary Americans become aware of the desperate plight of immigrant workers, and the laws and economic forces that encourage them to come here and then force them to remain in the shadows, justice for the immigrants will never come. But as we get to know immigrant workers as friends, we can put healthy pressure on prosecutors, judges, and lawmakers to enforce laws in ways that favor all people and communities.
Last night I met with Jose during a bilingual Bible study in Skagit County Jail. “We’re doing everything we can,” I assured him. “Está bien, gracias,” he said, smiling, as they led him back to his cell.
Read the full articles and more at Sojourners.
Categories: New Jersey, comprehensive immigration reform
