Comprehensive Immigration Reform

“You must not oppress the stranger; you know how a stranger feels, for you lived as strangers in the land of Egypt.” Exodus 23: 9

Our Catholic faith grounds us in the realization that each person has inherent dignity because he or she is created in the image and likeness of God. As children of God, we are treasured and valuable as we are. Because of this, all our national policies, including our immigration policies, should respect and protect the dignity of each person.

In response to this clear requirement of our faith, NETWORK is advocating for:

• A plan for addressing applicant backlogs for permanent residence, with family unity as a priority
• An effective program for temporary workers
• A realistic path to earned legalization
• Restoration of due process protections and reformed detention policies for those detained in the immigration system
• Effective border security that recognizes the human rights of all people
• More emphasis on fixing the “pushes” for immigration that result from U.S. trade policies and global economic conditions as well as the capacity to track immigration patterns in the U.S.

What is the specific issue/problem?

Immigration in the United States is a complex system fraught with misunderstanding and suspicion, but one thing is clear: the U.S. immigration system is badly broken.

There are too few legal channels for immigration under our current system. As a result, each year thousands of individuals cross the border without documentation or overstay their visitor visas. These undocumented immigrants come to the United States in search of a better life for themselves and their families. They come to meet the need for low-skill workers in the hospitality and agriculture industries. They come to participate in the “American Dream.”

However, the legal gaps in the current immigration system can darken that dream. Deportation, or the fear of it, rips families apart and forces hardworking people into the shadows of society. Legally-present workers whose immigration status ties them to only one employer are vulnerable to exploitation.

What is the dominant view on this issue, and how does NETWORK’s view compare?

As American citizens feel increasingly insecure in the current economy, there is often a tendency to see “them” (immigrants) as a cause of the problem. “They” are here illegally. “They” are taking jobs that should go to American citizens. “They” are criminals. “They” are making my life harder by adding more languages to my environment.

NETWORK feels that scapegoating immigrants for our economic crisis and social problems is both unjustified and unfair. For example, experience has often shown that immigrants take jobs that Americans don’t want, and the criminal rate among immigrants is not any higher than the criminal rate among the rest of the population. Because we live in a nation of immigrants, we believe people have a right to migrate. Further, our experience as a country has shown that immigrants have always been essential contributors to the economic, social, political, cultural and religious fabric of this nation. Efforts to criminalize and marginalize immigrants destroy that fabric and undermine the common good.

The dominant view would allow children born in the U.S. to stay (by law they are American citizens) but deport their immigrant parents. NETWORK, on the other hand, affirms the sanctity of marriage and the value of each family. Support of family unification should be a bedrock value of U.S. immigration policies because it has long been recognized that family unity fosters stable communities and provides needed support for workers while in the U.S.

Finally, the dominant view merely looks at the presence of immigrants in our country and takes an enforcement-only approach—like building a wall to keep people out. But we are living in a globalized world in which the free market efforts of the developed world are encouraging not only the unfettered movement of capital but also the movement of labor (i.e., people) to where there are jobs. Because of this, we at NETWORK support assessing policies that take into consideration the global context that is generating the migration of peoples.

Links to Current Legislation

July 2009

Here is updated information about the push for comprehensive immigration reform in Congress.

April 2009

NETWORK has long supported passage of legislation to help the children of immigrants receive a good education. The DREAM Act of 2009 (S 729 / HR 1751) was recently reintroduced and we will follow it closely.

Additional Information

Where can I go for more information about comprehensive immigration reform?

NETWORK Executive Director Sr. Simone Campbell has continued to relay NETWORK’s message through a variety of media.  She recently appeared in the Interfaith Immigration’s Coalition’s (IIC) 3-part film about comprehensive immigration reform. Check out the clips below to see Simone and other faith leaders articulate the importance of humane and just immigration legislation: 

Video 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScDeCe9qVIM

Video 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzzlRrFijhA

Video 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfAqGWNvTho

Justice for Immigrants

Interfaith Immigration Platform 2009

Interfaith Immigration Coalition

Press Release Announcing Interfaith Immigration Platform February 11, 2009

Report from the International Organization for Migration: "The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis"

Immigration Chart developed by Mike Flynn and Shikha Dalmia, illustrated by Terry Colon