Title: ELCA Synod Bishops Meet with Members of Congress on Immigration Reform ELCA NEWS SERVICE
April 2, 2007
ELCA Synod Bishops Meet with Members of Congress on Immigration Reform 07-049-AL/CC*
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Several synod bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) urged their members of Congress and key congressional staff March 22 to enact comprehensive immigration reform in 2007 that is "humane and for the common good."
Specifically, the bishops emphasized that comprehensive immigration reform legislation must: + protect and unite families + protect human rights and worker rights + end marginalization + provide a path to permanence and eventual citizenship
Key components that the bishops believe help to fulfill these principles include: elimination of the family visa backlogs; fair and humane enforcement provisions and the elimination of the unnecessary detention of families and children; earned legalization of the nation's 10 million undocumented people; a future worker visa program to meet the economy's employment needs; and a path to permanent residence and eventual citizenship for those who earn legalization or receive temporary work visas and who choose to be permanent members of communities.
"Our theology and practice call us to be a public church and to speak boldly and confidently in the public arena," said the Rev. Edward R. Benoway, bishop of the Florida-Bahamas Synod, Tampa. "Being a church of immigrants, we must pull from our own life stories to give encouragement and support to new immigrants of our present day."
Bishops met with both Republican and Democratic legislators from their districts, and also met with Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., chair of the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Border Security and International Law. Before their meetings on Capitol Hill, the bishops listened to several briefing sessions on immigration, including briefings from Matt Wilch, senior counsel for policy and advocacy, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS); Christina DeConcini, director of policy, National Immigration Forum; Ur Mendoza Jaddou, chief counsel, House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law; and Flavia Jimenez, National Council of La Raza. In between briefings, the bishops had time to discuss the scriptural basis for immigration issues and to plan next steps to take on the issue. The two-day event was hosted by the ELCA and LIRS.
This was the first meeting of a group of bishops who identified immigration issues as a critical priority in their own communities and on a national level. The bishops are planning to request a meeting with President George W. Bush to discuss comprehensive immigration reform, in addition to other advocacy efforts in the coming months.
"The Lutheran bishops are united in their resolve not only to 'welcome the stranger' but to embrace the worlds, cultures, issues and gifts they bring with them," said the Rev. Stephen P. Bouman, bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod. "What kind of community will emerge in this changed, global world? This spiritual conversation was at the heart of our conversations with our leaders in Congress, and undergirds a vision for comprehensive reform of immigration policy which takes seriously both our need for security and the well-being of families who are our new neighbors."
"We are moved by the bishops' pastoral concern and prophetic witness on behalf of the most vulnerable newcomers in our midst," said Ralston H. Deffenbaugh, Jr., LIRS president. "LIRS is committed to working with policy makers, the Lutheran churches, and with the wider community to help create a system that is humane, that works for the common good and that helps to assure welcoming communities for newcomers."
Similar groups of ELCA bishops have self-selected to work on other advocacy issues, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, hunger and poverty, and the environment. These groups will be available to testify before Congress, speak to the media, write editorials, and encourage the people in their synods and other bishops to take grassroots action on these issues.
In addition to Benoway and Bouman, bishops present at the gathering were: + The Rev. Paul J. Blom, bishop of the ELCA Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod, Houston + The Rev. Gerald L. Mansholt, bishop of the ELCA Central States Synod, Kansas City, Mo. + The Rev. Theodore F. Schneider, bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod + The Rev. Paul W. Stumme-Diers, bishop of the ELCA Greater Milwaukee Synod
LIRS, based in Baltimore, is a cooperative agency of the ELCA, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. LIRS works to resettle refugees, protect unaccompanied refugee children, advocate for fair and just treatment of asylum seekers and seek alternatives to detention for those who are incarcerated during their immigration proceedings.
---
*Cassandra Champion is director for communications, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
Information about comprehensive immigration reform, is at http://www.lirs.org or at http://www.ELCA.org/advocacy/issues/immigration on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog