A growing number of conservative evangelicals are separating from the political right wing on the issue of immigration reform according to a report from CNN
Tea Party activists and other conservatives are planning rallies next month in support of Arizona’s tough new immigration law, which has come under attack from Democrats, Latino groups and some maverick Republicans.
But a growing chorus of conservative evangelical leaders has broken with their traditional political allies on the right. They’re calling the Arizona law misguided and are attempting to use its passage to push for federal immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.
The group, which includes influential political activists such as Richard Land, head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s public policy wing, and Mathew Staver, dean of the Liberty University School of Law, will soon begin lobbying Republican leaders in Washington to support comprehensive immigration reform under President Obama.
The Episcopal Church Public Policy Network (EPPN) suggestions for action on immigration reform is here. The letter sent during Lent is below:
As we’ve talked during Lent about things done and left undone, Episcopal Church policy, and immigration in the context of family unity a recurring theme is the need for our immigration laws to be adjusted, updated, changed. In legislative terms we are talking about “Comprehensive Immigration Reform.”
Comprehensive immigration reform is something that you may have heard about in the past. It is something that Congress has been working on for awhile. The Episcopal Church has passed policies that we have already looked at in this series that outline how the Church envisions comprehensive immigration reform.
One key is that the reform must actually BE comprehensive, and that it is no small feat. What do we mean when we say comprehensive? From our point of view that means that it should address these four issues simultaneously (I know – HARD – like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time!):
status of undocumented immigrants working and living in the United States
the future flow of workers and close family members
the need for tailored, targeted, effective enforcement of more realistic policies
support for the successful integration of newcomers in the communities where they settle
These really align with our “Alien Among You” positions which also push us to look at comprehensive immigration reform through two additional lenses
Humane enforcement of immigration laws – When we say this we are talking about enforcement that respects human rights, treating individuals humanely and with dignity. Some of the negative effects of disproportionate enforcement were discussed two weeks ago when we looked at family unity.
A legalization process that has integration as its goal – Through its resolutions, the church has said that it believes that any comprehensive immigration reform should provide a path for undocumented immigrants to legalize their status and integrate into our communities.
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition, of which our church is a member, sums of the need for reform in its platform quite well: “We call for immigration reform because each day in our congregations, service programs, health-care facilities, and schools we witness the human consequences of a broken and outdated system. . . We are dedicated to immigration reform because we value family unity, justice, equity, compassion, love, and the humane treatment of all persons.”
To take action click here.