As our diverse faith traditions teach us to welcome our brothers and sisters with love and compassion— regardless of their place of birth—we call on Congress and the Administration to work together to enact humane and equitable immigration reform.
Comprehensive immigration reform should accomplish the following:
- Uphold family unity as a priority of all immigration policies
- Create a process for undocumented immigrants to earn their legal status and eventual citizenship
- Protect all workers and provide efficient channels of entry for new migrant workers
- Facilitate immigrant integration
- Restore due process protections and reform detention policies
- Align the enforcement of immigration laws with humanitarian values
Click here to learn more about these principles.
Legislative Update
This October, Representative Gutierrez (D-IL) outlined principles for an immigration bill he plans to introduce later this year. The bill will provide a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants, promote effective enforcement of immigration laws, ensure protections for workers, improve the employment eligibility verification system, and create increased opportunities for immigrant families to reunite legally in the United States. Read more about his bill here.
Senator Schumer (D-NY) and Representative Lofgren (D-CA) also plan to introduce their own comprehensive immigration reform bills in early 2010.
