On May 28, 2013, NETWORK's "Nuns on the Bus" will begin a cross-country journey for commonsense immigration reform. More information available soon.
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. Throughout the Gospel, there are countless references that we must ‘welcome the stranger’ and care for them as ourselves. Because of this, all our national policies, including our immigration policies, should respect and protect the dignity of each person.
Our nation’s immigration system is broken. Increased enforcement is tearing families apart and causing suffering for those who are otherwise willing and eager to contribute to our society. Our nation needs an immigration system that reflects our faith values and the needs of the twenty-first century. Such a system reunites families and allows workers the opportunity to come forward without fear to pay taxes and earn legalization. A functioning system will serve the needs of our entire nation.
NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, calls for commonsense immigration reform that:
- Ensures family unity
- Protects the rights of immigrant workers
- Acknowledges that our borders are already secure, with only minor changes needed
- Speeds up processing of already-approved immigrants
- Enhances the present diversity visa program
- Provides a clear and direct pathway to citizenship for the 11 million people who are undocumented in the U.S.
The time for commonsense immigration reform is now!
- On April 16, 2013, Senator Chuck Schumer and seven bipartisan cosponsors (the so-called “Gang of Eight”) introduced the "Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act," the first real attempt in some time to address our broken immigration system. For information about congressional action on immigration reform, click here [1].
- For a fact sheet on immigration reform, click here [2].
- For information about the history of immigration policies in our nation, click here [3].