RIO GRANDE VALLEY INTERFAITH STATEMENT ON HUMANE IMMIGRATION REFORM
More than 400 people of faith
attended a conference on immigration reform hosted by Valley Interfaith
on Wednesday,
The conference saw the unveiling of a new statement on the issue by
Texas bishops representing numerous denominations.
Among those participating were:
Most Reverend Daniel Flores,
Bishop, Diocese of Brownsville,
Rt. Rev. David Reed, Bishop
Suffragan, Episcopal Diocese of West Texas,
Reverend Dr. Ray Tiemann,
Bishop, Southwestern Texas Synod, ELCA,
Reverend James Dorff, Bishop, San Antonio Episcopal Area United
Methodist Church,
Reverend Kelly Allen, Chair,
Task Force on Immigration, Mission Presbytery, Presbyterian Church USA.
The bishops and Valley Interfaith hope the statement will be the
yardstick against which all comprehensive immigration reform legislation
is judged. They also hope the document starts a major debate in
congregations across Texas on the issue.
Here
is the statement by the bishops,
titled Principles of Humane Immigration Reform.
As people of many diverse faith traditions, yet with one voice, we call
on the President of the United States and the Congress to enact humane
and comprehensive immigration reform. We respect the rule of law, but
our diverse faith traditions challenge us to welcome the stranger among
us with compassion and hope, trusting in God’s generosity. Our
immigration laws do not fit the reality of our communities and our
nation. Our prayer is that we may find common ground, address the
legitimate concerns posed by immigration, and heal our broken
immigration system through a just reform of the current law.
At our borders and in our congregations, schools, workplaces and service
programs, we witness the human consequences of an inadequate, outdated
system. Border communities strain to accommodate the newcomers; families
suffer long periods of separation; undocumented workers are exploited
and live in fear. Anti-immigrant rhetoric in our nation plants distrust
of all public officials in the hearts of migrants. No one – businessmen,
immigrants, policymakers – finds the current law to be a coherent guide
to the complex questions our communities face.
In our holy writings, we are called to love sojourners, and to integrate
them into our communities. A nation’s moral stature can be measured by
the way it treats the most vulnerable in its midst. The Hebrew Bible
tells us: "The strangers who sojourn with you shall be to you as the
natives among you, and you shall love them as yourself; for you were
strangers in the land of Egypt” (Leviticus 19:33-34). In the New
Testament, Jesus tells us to welcome the stranger, for "what you do to
the least of my brothers and sisters, you do unto me” (Matthew 25:40).
To welcome the stranger is to welcome a child of God.
Align Immigration Enforcement with Humanitarian Values and for the Good
of
the
Nation
Our traditions also recognize the right of sovereign nations to control
their territories and impose reasonable limits on immigration; this is
necessary to provide stable conditions for the long-term development of
peoples. It is also true that the more economically developed nations,
with the ability to protect and feed their own residents, have an
obligation to accommodate migration flows whenever possible. Neither of
these principles is absolute, but rather must be applied with prudence
and generosity.
The current law no longer addresses either principle. It is the
responsibility of the Federal Government to craft a new and more just
accommodation of these principles.
Today as a people of faith, we call attention to the moral dimensions of
public policy, and recommend reforms which uphold the God-given dignity
of every person, made in the image of God. Fundamental human rights such
as the right to migrate and the right to support a family are critical
to the repair of our nation’s immigration policies. Because we value
family unity, justice, equity, compassion, love, and the humane
treatment of all persons, we dedicate ourselves, in our teaching and our
witness, to calling for immigration reform. It is our collective prayer
that the President and Congress enact just immigration reform based on
these tenets.
Uphold Family Unity as a Priority in Immigration Polices
Our faith traditions are also deeply rooted in the sanctity of the
family, the essential institution for the development of healthy
individuals and strong communities. We call on the Administration and
Congress to craft an immigration policy that respects the good of family
unity.
This means that it should seek 1) to prioritize family unity in the
immigration process; 2) expeditiously to reunite immigrant families
separated due to lengthy visa backlogs; 3) allow for the adjustment of
status for individuals seeking to reunite with their family members and
4) remove bars to reentry that are based solely upon the fact of having
been in this country without a proper visa. Attempts to devalue the
family, such as denying birthright citizenship to the children of
immigrants or placing family-based and employment-based visa applicants
in competition with each other on a point-based system, must be rejected
as injurious to family life and hence to the good of society as a whole.
Create a Process for Undocumented Migrants to Earn Legal Status and
Citizenship
The mass deportation of undocumented persons here now would be extremely
costly, virtually impossible to accomplish, and would cause untold
suffering to families and entire communities. Regularizing the status of
undocumented workers is a reasonable way to proceed. We are not calling
for amnesty; but rather we urge an immigration reform that allows
undocumented immigrants and their families to earn lawful permanent
residency, with a pathway to citizenship through appropriate steps such
as registration, background checks, learning English, and payment of
reasonable fees. Immigrants who regularize their status would wait their
turn for citizenship, in keeping with principles of fairness for all
immigrants. Overly punitive criteria, such as exorbitant fees or
mandating that immigrants leave the country, or making the process
conditional upon complete success of border enforcement measures, would
be counterproductive and should be avoided.
Protect Workers and Provide Legal Avenues for Migrant Workers
The current immigration system denies an orderly process for immigrants
to enter legally or legalize their situation, and prevents communities
from benefiting from the talents and potential of valuable contributors
to our society and economy. Hence an adequate reform would include an
expansion of legal avenues for migrant workers to work in our country.
This will help our nation meet future workforce needs in an orderly
fashion. Since human work participates in God’s activity of creation,
workers’ rights must always be fully protected. This includes the
ability of immigrant workers to bring their families with them, to
travel within the country as needed, to change their place of
employment, and to have access to application for lawful permanent
residency or citizenship, should they so desire. All workers should be
protected through the enforcement of health, safety, wage, and hour
laws, as well as the right to organize. As people of faith we must
protect the dignity of migrants’ labor and respect their economic
contributions to the United States.
Restore Due Process Protections and Reform Detention Policies
Immigration policies should respect the rights and inherent human
dignity of migrants and ensure due process for all. Indiscriminate
immigration raids cause trauma, fear and hardship for thousands of
individuals. Such raids separate families, destroy communities, and
threaten the basic rights of immigrants and U.S. citizens alike,
underscoring the problems with current U.S. immigration policies and the
urgent need for reform.
Witnessing the toll of incarceration on detainees, their families and
our communities, we urge the Administration and Congress to reduce the
use of detention for immigrants and improve detention conditions by
enacting clear, enforceable reforms that include rigorous medical
treatment standards and increased access to pastoral care and legal
counsel.
Furthermore, we call on the government to expedite the release of
individuals who pose no risk to the community and to expand the use of
humane and cost-effective community-based alternatives to detention.
Facilitate Immigrant Integration
One may be a stranger for a time but it is unjust for immigrants to
remain strangers “outside the gates” through indefinite exclusion from
full participation in American society. Many immigrants desire to
naturalize but lack the necessary tools. Immigration reform policies
should streamline the naturalization process, by processing application
backlogs and expediting security checks to reduce waiting times.
Support Measures to Address the Root Causes of Migration
Our traditions recognize that all the goods of the earth belong to all
people. All persons have the right to find in their own countries the
economic, political, religious and social opportunities to live in
dignity, provide for their families, and achieve a full life through the
use of the gifts bestowed upon them; yet they also have the right to
migrate when there is no other way to support their families. As a
nation, we can help create the conditions that will give people an
alternative to migration by supporting organizations working to reduce
poverty in developing nations and by adopting fair trade policies,
fostering equitable development for all.
Community and Immigrant Safety
We ask all people of good will to recognize that many innocent people,
many struggling families, both Mexican citizens and United States
citizens, are being affected by the increase of drug-related violence on
the Texas-Mexican border. It is clear that many immigrant families now
seeking entry to the United States out of a fear for their safety and
that of their families; this exacerbates the dimensions of the
humanitarian tragedy that affects immigrant families. We are deeply
troubled by reports of human trafficking of immigrants, who are held
against their will by criminal elements who cruelly manipulate the
vulnerability of undocumented immigrants. We also wish to thank law
enforcement and public safety officials, particularly US Border Patrol,
for their work in keeping the violence and human trafficking from
spreading further. Nevertheless, we continue to be troubled by the
presence of the border wall along the Rio Grande Valley, and consider it
a counter-sign to the amicable relations between families on both sides
of the River. We affirm that the current circumstances make it all the
more imperative that the President and the Congress commit to enacting a
comprehensive immigration reform:
Immigration reform is a key element to ensuring our country’s safety
because it would allow the federal government to focus on genuine
threats posed by those seeking to do the country harm, rather than on
individuals who lack status, who have committed no other crimes, and who
desire to make a positive contribution to this country. Such a reform
should allow the United States to implement immigration laws that
identify and prevent the entry of persons who commit dangerous crimes.
Border policies must be consistent with humanitarian values and with the
need to treat all individuals with respect.
We oppose counterproductive laws mandating that local police act as
immigration officials. There is a practical wisdom in maintaining
distinct jurisdictions. Local families should feel free to report crime
in our neighborhoods without fear that their immigration status will be
immediately questioned. Confusing Federal and local jurisdictions
decrease community safety and discourage immigrants from pursuing
responsible community involvement.