Leading up to the mid-term elections next month, lawmakers on Capitol Hill sidestepped the contentious issue of immigration reform, opting instead to narrow their focus on border security.
Both House and Senate GOP leaders have indicated, a sweeping immigration reform measure won't be finalized before the new Congress convenes next year. The Senate has approved a bill similar to what President Bush wants, which includes a temporary guest-worker program. The House has passed a strict enforcement measure without the guest-worker plan and an "earned" citizenship program for immigrants.
At a recent White House news conference, the President said that in the long run, the nation needs a "rational work plan" and must "treat people with dignity."
"When Congress gets down to a comprehensive bill, I will remind them, it's virtually impossible to try and find eleven million folks who've been working hard, in some cases raising families, and kick them out. It's just not going to work," the President said.
At the same time, the President said that "granting automatic citizenship" would be unwise.
Many in the faith community want Congress to approve "compassionate" immigration reform legislation that offers earned legalization and guest worker programs with a path to citizenship.
Bishop Gerald Barnes of San Bernardino, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration, called for a "fair and just" comprehensive immigration reform bill.
"Just legislation should include a viable path to citizenship for undocumented persons residing in our nation; a temporary worker program which protects the rights of both U.S. and foreign-born laborers; reforms in the family-based immigration system by reducing backlogs and shortening times for family reunification; and restoration of due process protection for immigrants.
Immigration enforcement also should be an important component of comprehensive immigration reform. We caution, however, that enforcement measures should not undermine the fairness of our laws, and should ensure that the human dignity of the person is protected.
It is our view that immigration is a moral issue because it impacts the human dignity and human rights of the person. It is an issue which should supercede political concerns," Barnes said.
Likewise, Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony kicked off a series of immigration-related rallies nationwide with Labor Day letters to both the President and congressional leaders, urging them to push for comprehensive immigration reform legislation.
"Failure to enact comprehensive and fair immigration reform will simply continue the inequality of those living and working in our country for the benefit of all of us. We simply cannot allow that to happen.
The current system for legal entry to the United States, particularly for family reunification, is a disaster. That is a disgrace. That is really immoral, as well.
Jesus called people to be concerned about those around us who most need our help–the poor, the blind, the lame, those who are aliens in our midst, those who have come from other places. Those are the ones whom Jesus came to serve, and to call us to serve them.
Sadly, over the past several months, we have listened to sharply worded rhetoric, we have witnessed immigrants being blamed for almost every social ill in our country, and we have diminished our sense of being neighborly to one another. Immigrants have been attacked verbally, and in some cases even physically. What has happened to the soul of our nation, a nation built upon the commitment of countless waves of immigrants?" Mahony wrote.
Mahony's sentiments were echoed by Jim Wallis, executive director of Sojourners, who said whatever is ultimately agreed to, "must always be, for the people of faith, accountable to the words of Jesus: ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me.'"
"This could be a long-term fight, but the goal is not merely to change the minds of legislators who are so often guided by the direction of the wind, but to change the wind itself. We are called to be wind-changers. That means loving the poor, including the marginal, and inviting those in positions of power to the redemption that is associated with helping those whose access to resources is often unjustly restricted," Wallis said.
Ralston Deffenbaugh, Jr., president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, recently expressed concern that whatever version of the legislation clears Congress may create a "climate of fear," resulting from overzealous enforcement efforts and diminished human and legal rights.
"We know from decades of experience working with asylum seekers that expansion of the immigration detention system would be particularly harmful. When those fleeing from persecution in their home countries are held in custody, they often suffer retraumatization as a result of this detention.
The challenge ahead for Congress is to reshape the proposed legislation to reflect our nation's commitment to human rights and family values, while balancing our economic needs. We hope that our elected officials work together to create an immigration system that will eradicate the current climate of fear and confusion and create incentives for immigrants to come out of the shadows. Most importantly, we pray for one that recognizes and preserves, the human rights that spring from our God-given dignity," Deffenbaugh said.
An interfaith statement on immigration reform signed by dozens of faith-based leaders and organizations calls for a "safe and humane" immigration system consistent with their values. The statement read in part, "We call for immigration reform because each day in our congregations, service programs, healthcare facilities and schools, we witness the human consequences of an outmoded system. We see and hear the suffering of immigrant families who have lost loved ones to death in the desert or immigrants themselves who have experienced exploitation in the workplace or abuse at the hands of unscrupulous smugglers and others. In our view, changes to the U.S. legal immigration system would help put an end to this suffering, which offends the dignity of all human beings.
We call upon our elected officials to enact legislation that includes the following:
An opportunity for hard-working immigrants who are already contributing to this country to come out of the shadows, regularize their status upon satisfaction of reasonable criteria, and, over time, pursue an option to become lawful permanent residents, and eventually, United States citizens;
Reforms in our family-based immigration system to significantly reduce waiting times for separated families who currently wait many years to be reunited;
The creation of legal avenues for workers and their families who wish to migrate to the U.S. to enter our country and work in a safe, legal and orderly manner with their rights fully protected;
Border protection policies that are consistent with humanitarian values and with the need to treat all individuals with respect, while allowing the authorities to carry out the critical task of identifying and preventing entry of terrorists and dangerous criminals, as well as pursuing the legitimate task of implementing American immigration policy.
While we support the right of the government to enforce the law and protect the national security interests of the United States, we recognize that our existing complex and unworkable immigration system has made it nearly impossible for many immigrants–who seek to support their families or reunite with loved ones–to achieve legal status. Reforming the immigration system to address this reality would allow the U.S. government to focus its enforcement efforts on real threats that face all Americans–citizens and immigrants alike.
As faith-based leaders and organizations, we call attention to the moral dimensions of public policy and pursue policies that uphold the human dignity of each person, all of whom are made in the image of God. We engage the immigration issue with the goal of fashioning an immigration system that facilitates legal status and family unity in the interest of serving the God-given dignity and rights of every individual. It is our collective prayer that the legislative process will produce a just immigration system of which our nation of immigrants can be proud."
However, some conservative organizations want to see a stricter approach taken with regards to immigration reform legislation.
Phyllis Schlafly, president of the Eagle Forum, believes illegal immigrants are placing a burden on hospitals, schools and law enforcement, and taking entry-level jobs away from Americans. Schlafly backs legislation that would deny illegal immigrants access to state benefits and public scholarships to college. In addition, Schlafly says that the law should heavily sanction employers who hire undocumented workers, and require law enforcement officers to check the immigration status of everyone they arrest.
Also, Don Swarthout, president of Christians Reviving America's Values, (CRAVE) favors a crackdown on illegal immigration.
"America is a nation of laws. We cannot continue to allow the laws of our nation to be broken by people who are freeloaders, criminals and drug smugglers. We must get a handle on who is coming into our country.
Jesus himself told us to obey the law of the land that we live in. That is fairly clear to me."
Swarthout added, "It's a real tough situation. I have compassion for these people who work here and so forth, but they need to come into this country legally."
As the contentious debate over immigration reform continues, a new government report says, the number of illegals dying while trying to enter the U.S. through Mexico has nearly doubled since the late 1990s. The General Accounting Office found 472 people died last year, compared to 241 in 1999. The Tucson, Arizona, section of the border accounted for almost half of all the deaths in 2005. The GAO said, increased border security in California and Texas forced people to take the dangerous route across the Arizona desert. The report noted that there was a sharp increase in the number of women and children dying.
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