Episcopal Church Leaders Endorse Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation
Episcopal News Service. October 18, 2005 [101805-1]
The Episcopal Church USA was one of 135 signatories from a broad spectrum of religious groups urging Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reform legislation which provides a legal, orderly pathway for workers to come to the United States to fill jobs not being filled by U.S. workers. Additionally, the statement calls for extending permanent status and eventual citizenship to those now working in the U.S. if they can demonstrate that they are making a necessary contribution to the work force. The statement also asks that those coming to the U.S. as legal workers have the opportunity to bring close family members with them and have their rights protected once here.
The church's endorsement of the statement reflects a resolution passed by the Executive Council of the Church in June 2005 during their meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. There the council embraced a set of principles which parallel the key features of legislation called for by the interfaith group.
Richard Parkins, director of Episcopal Migration Ministries, who participated in the drafting of the interfaith statement and provided staff support for the council's resolution, praised the statement as one which "speaks to the urgency of repairing our failed immigration system by adopting a balanced, comprehensive approach to reform...By not embracing an enforcement-only approach, the statement recognizes that the U.S. needs workers; and if they can enter legally with requisite safeguards, we will have made our immigration system both more humane and realistic."
The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Senator Arlen Specter, is beginning hearings on immigration legislation. Draft legislation introduced by Senators McCain and Kennedy, the Secure America and Immigration Reform Act, reflects the principles embodied in the interfaith statement as well as the church's resolution.
Parkins said that "advocacy on behalf of this bill or one similar to it should be a priority as we have a chance in the coming months to make our immigration system more practical and just." Parkins noted that the "bipartisan support and the cross section of backers in both houses of Congress that the bill has gives it a chance of moving forward. However, a preoccupation with security and enforcement will probably add to the resistance that the legislation will encounter."
With assistance from the Church's Office of Government Relations, efforts will be made to encourage Episcopal members of Congress to endorse a version of immigration reform consistent with the principles which the church has adopted.
A copy of the "Interfaith Statement in Support of Comprehensive Immigration Reform" can be found on the Institute on Religion and Public Policy's website at www.religionandpolicy.org.