Faith Communities Call for Immigration Reform

Christian Post ^ | 9 Feb 06 | Lillian Kwon

[xzins]

Faith Communities Call for Immigration Reform

Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006 Posted: 10:35:28AM EST

Faith communities have stepped in to call for comprehensive immigration reform that would help ease the suffering of immigrants as spending on programs and systems to control the flow of immigrants over national borders have been included in President Bush's $2.77 trillion budget for fiscal 2007.

The president’s new plan includes a $247 million spending on a guest worker program for immigrants, 1,500 new Border Patrol agents and a system to help states check immigration status.

"The administration's plan,” states a summary of the proposals on border security, “is to catch all migrants attempting to enter the country illegally, decrease crime rates along the border, allow employers to hire legal foreign workers when no American is willing to take the job, and restore public confidence in the federal government's ability to enforce immigration laws.”

The Hispanic Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, a newly formed coalition of evangelical clergy, expressed concern over such proposals as a border wall and the lack of any process for illegal immigrants to legalize their status in the United States. It urged for reform proposals protecting those already in the country to remain so legally.

Also, in a statement released last week, World Relief urged churches and congregants alike to push for comprehensive immigration reform.

"Our faith teaches us to welcome our brothers and sisters with love and compassion," stated the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals. "World Relief joins this call for policies that respect the dignity of all people and honor our deep tradition as a nation of immigrants. The time has come for Christian churches of all sizes to do the same."

World Relief had joined other religious leaders in an interfaith statement last October that called for an opportunity for hard-working immigrants already in the country to regularize their status and have the option of becoming legal residents and eventually U.S. citizens, and for border protection policies that were consistent with humanitarian values among other proposals.

"We call for immigration reform because each day in our congregations, service programs, health-care facilities, and schools, we witness the human consequences of an outmoded system,” the Christian relief organization stated.

“We see and hear the suffering of immigrants who have been separated from their family or who have experienced exploitation in the workplace or abuse at the hands of unscrupulous smugglers and others,” it added. “In our view, changes to the U.S. legal immigration system would help put an end to the suffering, that offends the dignity of all people made in the image of God."

Lillian Kwon

[wolfcreek]

'I have a tiny violin' Alert! I see NO sympathy for the American citizen who are fronting the bill for these 'poor' people.

[xzins]

It sounds like a "law versus grace" argument to me.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

President Bush has been great on most things except for our border.
He has been great on the war on terrorists.
But on the border he is a gross failure.
He acted fast and correct on the 3,000+ people murdered at the world trade center.
He ignores the many rapes, murders and robberies which might be larger than the murders and money loss at the world trade center.

Start building the fence.

It should be made a felony for Criminals who overstay their visas and Invaders.

I believe we should give amnesty to these poor CRIMINALS or INVADERS.
This should be a 2 week amnesty to get the heck out of our Country.
The ones who ignore this amnesty should be buried in a tent city jail and fined $10,000 or buried elsewhere.
All aiders and abettors of these CRIMINALS or INVADERS should get 1 year in a tent city jail and a $10,000 fine for each CRIMINAL aided.
Those in government should be the first ones charged.

[Uri’el-2012]

Faith communities have stepped in to call for comprehensive immigration
reform that would help ease the suffering of immigrants as spending on
programs and systems to control the flow of immigrants over national borders
have been included in President Bush's $2.77 trillion budget for fiscal 2007.

I refuse to tithe at the church of haSatan.

Why do these so-called "Christians" want to steal from me
to give to others and take credit for their "good works"

If they want to do "good works", they should use their own money.

Oh well; they believe in "good works" and they are lost.

b'shem Y'shua

[Gamecock]

I can't take The Hispanic Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform seriously. They don't even have a website.

[John Locke]

World Relief had joined other religious leaders in an interfaith statement last October that called for an opportunity for hard-working immigrants already in the country to regularize their status...

Now that part I can agree with 100%. So for the benefit of World Relief, I offer this simple process by which illegal immigrants can "regularize their status". It requires no bureaucracy, no fees, no forms to fill in, and it can be executed by any illegal immigrant, hard working or otherwise.

Best of all, it is a one-step process, as follows:

Step One: GO HOME