Interfaith coalition applauds Obama commitment on immigration
Episcopal News Service. June 26, 2009 [062609-01]
Mary Frances Schjonberg
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition June 26 applauded what it called U.S. President Barack Obama's commitment to "advancing the conversation on immigration reform."
The group, a partnership of faith-based organizations that includes the Episcopal Church and is committed to enacting comprehensive immigration reform this year, issued a statement the day after Obama met with key U.S. lawmakers. He told the gathering that getting a bill passed would "require some heavy lifting."
"It's going to require a victory of practicality and common sense and good policy making over short-term politics," the Associated Press quoted Obama as saying. "That's what I'm committed to doing as president."
Rahm Emmanuel, his chief of staff, told a Christian Science Monitor briefing held before the meeting on June 25 that the gathering was called because "the votes aren’t there" to get comprehensive reform passed immediately.
"If the votes were there, you wouldn’t need to have the meeting, you’d go to a roll call," he said.
Ana White, immigration and refugee analyst in the Episcopal Church's office of government relations, noted that "the Episcopal Church, through the resolutions passed at General Convention and Executive Council, has committed to working to reform the present immigration system that separates families, spreads fear and keeps millions living in the shadows."
"We also stand with the President and members of Congress who are committed to achieving comprehensive immigration reform," she told ENS.
The Episcopal Church's stance on immigration reform is guided by the policies set out in Resolution A017 passed by the 75th General Convention in 2006. The policy includes committing the church to welcome strangers "as a matter of Christian responsibility, to advocate for their well being and protection and to urge its members to resist legislation and actions which violate our fundamental beliefs as Christians, including the criminalization of persons providing humanitarian assistance to migrants."
The interfaith coalition said that the meeting at the White House "is a clear signal that a bipartisan effort is underway to addressing our nation’s broken immigration system."
"We urge Congress and the president to make this a high legislative priority and commend those who have taken steps in this direction," the Rev. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary of the National Council of the Churches in the USA, said in the release.
"We applaud President Obama for his courage in highlighting immigration at this time when the public is consumed with the economy," Gideon Aronoff, president and chief operating officer of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, said in the release. "Though there are those who see immigration as contributing to our economic problems, we see the hard work and dedication of immigrants as key to our economic success. We are gratified that the administration sees immigration as a positive element in American society."
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition said that over the last two weeks, people of faith in more than 40 communities across the country have been gathering in anticipation of Obama’s meeting to pray for the elected leaders as they work for reform.
"In the weeks and months to come the Interfaith Immigration Coalition will continue to rally grassroots support in the faith community for swift action on comprehensive immigration reform," the group said in its release.