Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform is a coalition of Christian organizations, churches, and leaders from across the theological and political spectrum, united in support of comprehensive U.S. immigration reform. We are working together to see fair and humane immigration reform enacted in Congress this year because we share a set of common moral and theological principles that compel us to love, care for, and seek justice for the stranger among us.

We call for an end to the unproductive, divisive, and fear-driven anti-immigrant rhetoric in the media, which has often castigated all immigrants, regardless of citizenship status, and derailed attempts at true reform. As Christian leaders who share the biblical values named below, we commit to fostering civil dialogue on immigration in our churches and in our communities. We call on President Barack Obama to provide the leadership necessary to move from the hateful rhetoric that has often characterized this national debate to action that will fix our broken immigration system. We look forward to working alongside the president to lead a new national conversation on immigration policy that reflects the best of our moral and civic values.

We stand together in calling on President Obama and Congress to make humane and holistic immigration reform a top priority in 2009.

Our shared principles include the following:

·    We believe all people, regardless of national origin or citizenship status, are made in the “image of God” and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect (Genesis 1:26-27, 9:6).

·    We believe there is an undeniable responsibility to love and show compassion for the stranger among us (Deuteronomy 10:18-19, Leviticus 19:33-34, Matthew 25:31-46).

·    We believe that immigrants are our neighbors, both literally and figuratively, and we are to love our neighbors as ourselves and show mercy to neighbors in need (Leviticus 19:18, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:25-37).

·    We believe in the rule of law, but we also believe that we are to oppose unjust laws and systems that harm and oppress people made in God’s image, especially the vulnerable (Isaiah 10:1-4, Jeremiah 7:1-7, Acts 5:29, Romans 13:1-7).

We recognize that the current U.S. immigration system is broken and reform is necessary. The biblical principles above compel us to support immigration reform legislation that includes the following elements:

·    Enforcement initiatives that are consistent with humanitarian values;

·    Reforms in our family-based immigration system that reduce waiting times for separated families to be reunited;

·    A process for all immigrant workers and their families already in the U.S. to earn citizenship upon satisfaction of specific criteria;

·    An expansion of legal avenues for workers and families to enter our country and work in a safe and legal manner with their rights and due process fully protected;

·    Examining solutions to address the root causes of migration, such as economic disparities between sending and receiving nations.

There are now two new options available on the blog. 1) You can now register on the system and receive an E-mail whenever there are new posts. If you want to register please push “Register” under Meta and follow the instructions to register. 2) You can share or save any post. Push the “Share/Save” button under any post and follow the instructions.

We want to share an article by Rev. José Casal. “The Challenge of Migration to the Christian Conscience” calls us to recognize that we cannot ignore the reality of migration if we are going to call ourselves Christians. Rev. Casal is originally from Cuba and has been a leader in the Presbyterian Church in the United States. This article was originally presented to the Synod of the Northwest of the Presbyterian Church of Mexico on May 26-29, 2008.

The Challenge of Migration to the Christian Conscience

Ways in which you can be a blessing to an immigrant in your community, church, or place of employment.

1. Know your community and church: Organize groups to help immigrants. Educate yourself about the needs of immigrants.

2. Offer help and be a source of hope: Notify organizations that help immigrants about the specific needs of immigrants in your area. You can be a source of information about organizations that help immigrants.

3. Have a plan of action: Prepare an emergency support plan for the immigrant if that person has an encounter with immigration officials.

4. Community Education: Organize educational activities in your church that inform immigrants about their rights and the possibilities of legalizing their migratory status.

5. Let your voice be heard: If an immigrant is abused please get in contact with organizations that help, such as La Red, so that we can work on behalf of the person.

(These ideas come from a document circulated by Florida Christian Social Services.)

WHAT IS THE NEW SANCTUARY MOVEMENT? In the book of Numbers in the Hebrew Scriptures, God gives the people of Israel instructions to follow if they committed manslaughter, but could not get a fair hearing and were in danger of losing their lives. They were to run to the Biblical Cities of Refuge. No one could harm them in any way until they could get a fair hearing. These ‘refugees’ would be given ‘sanctuary.’

This concept has existed among Christians for many centuries. In many parts of the world churches have often served as sanctuaries in times of war, injustice, or extreme need. People seeking protection could usually count on churches being respected, even by the worse of dictators or armies. The people seeking protection might not be completely innocent, but they sought refugee because it would be impossible for them to obtain a fair and just resolution of their situation.

The New Sanctuary Movement draws on this biblical and historical concept to call attention to the plight of families being separated by an ineffective and unjust immigration system. It is particularly inspired by the sanctuary movement of the early ‘80s for Central American refugees and Elvira Arellano’s courageous stand in Chicago. The New Sanctuary Movement (NSM) is a national effort by religious leaders and congregations of all faith traditions to respond to the crisis of families caught in a broken immigration system. According to Rev. Alexia Salvatierra (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice – CLUE) the NSM engages congregations in accompanying, supporting and hosting immigrant families facing deportation while publicizing their stories.

Friday, May 9^th will mark the one-year anniversary of the New Sanctuary Movement National Launch. If you would like to participate or attend the New Sanctuary Movement Anniversary Event, you can e-mail me at: vcastaneda@cluela.org for more details. In the meantime, you can read more about the New Sanctuary families by clicking on the links below.

§ YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA6M7tUTfRc

§ Website: http://www.clueca.org/1-pc-sanctuary.htm

Verónica Castañeda, Por la Red