Title: ELCA Synod Bishops Join LIRS in Expressing Immigration Bill Concerns ELCA NEWS SERVICE
May 21, 2007
ELCA Synod Bishops Join LIRS in Expressing Immigration Bill Concerns 07-087-AL
WASHINGTON (ELCA) -- Three synod bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) expressed concern over the May 17 Senate compromise on immigration reform legislation, according to a May 18 news release from Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), Baltimore.
LIRS is a cooperative agency of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
The Rev. Gerald H. Mansholt, bishop, ELCA Central States Synod, Kansas City, Mo., the Rev. H. Gerard Knoche, bishop, ELCA Delaware-Maryland Synod, Baltimore, and the Rev. Paul Stumme-Diers, bishop, ELCA Greater Milwaukee Synod, objected to the plan's cuts to the family-sponsored immigration system, and its failure to present a fair and workable plan.
"Our nation is founded on strong families that stand at the center of our communities," said Knoche. "This proposal turns away from that long-standing tradition and from the Christian principle that we should welcome the stranger in our homes and families."
The proposal would all but eliminate visas for adult children and siblings who are seeking to join their U.S. citizen and permanent resident relatives, and would greatly reduce the number of visas available for parents of adult children, according to the LIRS news release.
The bishops quoted in the release are among a group of ELCA bishops who identified immigration issues as a critical priority in their own communities and on a national level. The group first met in March to urge their legislators to enact comprehensive immigration reform that was "humane and for the common good."
"We commend the Senate and administration for their hard work on immigration reform, but we urge them to redouble their efforts to develop truly comprehensive reform that better serves families and the common good," said Ralston H. Deffenbaugh Jr., LIRS president.
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The LIRS news release is at http://tinyurl.com/2t8mra on the ELCA Web site.
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