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Forwarded from Catholic Relief Services
Urge Congress to Enact Comprehensive Immigration Reform
August 11, 2006
TAKE ACTION NOW! Please contact your Members during this month’s congressional recess and let them know that you support comprehensive immigration reform. Such reform includes substantive programs to address U.S. labor needs and reunite families, a pathway to earned legalization and citizenship, and effective border security. Click here to urge your Members to enact comprehensive immigration reform now.
WHY THIS ISSUE IS IMPORTANT: The Senate and House of Representatives have not reconciled the differences between their respective immigration bills. Although Congress has recessed until Labor Day, hearings are being held around the country, many of them designed to focus on “enforcement only” proposals rather than a broader debate of immigration and its effective management. Many local organizations and faith-based groups have organized events to coincide with these hearings. Click here to find out about hearings scheduled in your area.
During the August recess, it is critical that Members hear from their constituents to demonstrate that there is indeed strong public support for comprehensive immigration reform. We have received reports that congressional offices are hearing disproportionately from constituents who oppose comprehensive immigration reform. Click here for your Members' contact information to schedule a district meeting or email your member now by clicking here.
WHY WE SHOULD GET INVOLVED: CRS serves displaced people, refugees, migrants and victims of human trafficking worldwide, daily confronting the suffering and exploitation of migrants and families separated across borders often for years. CRS also works with the Catholic Church throughout the world to create economic opportunities so that people are not forced to migrate.
To read more about CRS’ policy position on migration and what we are doing around the world to address its effects on families and communities, visit our website at http://advocacy.crs.org/ and click on “Migration.” CRS is also part of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Justice for Immigrants Campaign in support of fair, comprehensive immigration reform. For more information, please visit: http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/.
The Catholic Bishops of the United States, Mexico and Central America have consistently called for comprehensive immigration reform. Such reform addresses the root causes of migration, provides worker protection and a pathway to citizenship, reunites families in a timely manner and more effectively utilizes resources to address security concerns. The Bishops noted that: “we judge ourselves as a community of faith by the way we treat the most vulnerable among us.”
BACKGROUND: The House passed H.R. 4437, the Border Protection, Anti-Immigration, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, last December, one of the harshest immigration bills in years. CRS and the Justice for Immigrants Campaign strongly oppose H.R. 4437. Click here to read the statement by Most Reverend Gerald Barnes, Bishop of San Bernardino and Chairman, USCCB Committee on Migration regarding the passage of H. R. 4437.
CRS and the Justice for Immigrants Campaign believe that the Senate immigration reform bill, S. 2611, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, passed in May offers an acceptable approach to solving our immigration crisis. Click here to read Bishop Barnes’ statement upon passage of S. 2611.
TAKE ACTION NOW! Contact your Members of Congress today and tell them that you support comprehensive immigration reform. Such reform takes into account all aspects of our immigration system while protecting basic human rights and human life and advancing the best interests of our nation and immigrant families. Remind them that the status quo is morally unacceptable. Click here to take action now.
For further information contact:
Tina Rodousakis, Legislative Network Specialist, 1-800-235-2772 x 7462; trodousa@crs.org
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