CWS Applauds Senate Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill

From George Conklin <gconklin@igc.org>
Date Fri, 01 Oct 2010 17:35:34 -0400

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


CWS Applauds Senate Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill

October 1, 2010 -- Global humanitarian agency
Church World Service (CWS) applauds Senator
Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Senator Patrick Leahy
(D-VT) for their introduction of the
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2010.

"This legislation offers concrete policy

solutions to fix our broken immigration system,"
said Erol Kekic, Director of the CWS Immigration
and Refugee Program.  "We urge all Senators to
cosponsor this bill and support its enactment."

The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2010
would reduce waiting times for separated families
to be reunited, protect both U.S.-born and
immigrant workers, provide a pathway by which
undocumented immigrants could earn their legal
status and eventual citizenship, admit refugees
as lawful permanent residents, improve
immigration detention conditions, and increase
the quality of border enforcement by working with local border 
communities.

CWS's work for immigration reform is informed by
the daily experiences of local congregations of
its 36 member denominations and communions, and
of its 34 refugee resettlement affiliate offices in 21 states.

"Our member communions and local offices around
the country see first-hand how our current
immigration system tears families apart, exploits
workers, and keeps communities in fear.  We need
Congress to show the moral courage necessary to
enact immigration reform this year.  The
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2010 is a
tangible piece of legislation we can work to
enact to improve the lives of our immigrant brothers and sisters."

"This new legislation is a welcome contrast to
controversial immigration proposals in Arizona
and elsewhere," he said. "This legislation offers
true solutions that will put our immigration
system back on track and benefit the United States as a whole."

"Immigration reform isn't just the moral thing to
do ? it's the practical thing to do and what's
best for the United States," Kekic continued.  "A
recent report by the Center for American Progress
shows that providing a pathway to legal status
for undocumented immigrants and reforming the
visa system would increase the Gross Domestic
Product by $1.5 trillion over 10 years, including
increases in tax revenue, investment, wage growth, and job creation.

"We applaud the leadership exhibited by Senators
Menendez and Leahy in introducing this bill, and
we urge all members of the Senate to cosponsor
this legislation and help enact it as soon as possible."


Media Contacts


Lesley Crosson, (212) 870-2676, media@churchworldservice.org

Jan Dragin - 24/7 - (781) 925-1526, jdragin@gis.net


Church World Service



475 Riverside Drive



New York, NY 10115



(212) 870-2061



www.churchworldservice.org