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Christian Leaders Push Immigration Reform as Faith Issue
By William Wan
In advance of the White House's big meeting next week on immigration, a coalition of Christian groups launched a new website and statement of principles today. In a telephone conference, they advocated for President Obama and Congress to tackle comprehensive reform on immigration in the next few months and emphasized the spiritual arguments for humane treatment of undocumented immigrants.
The teleconference by the group, Christians for Comprehensive immigration Reform, featured heavyweights in the arena of faith and politics, including three members on the President's new faith-based advisory council. Since Obama's June 17 meeting on immigration so far looks like it's invitation only for member of Congress, the group's goal was to weigh in on the debate ahead of time.
One of the speakers, Rev. Jim Wallis, president of progressive and social justice group Sojourners, made this argument, "This is a faith issue. Not just a political issue." Wallis referred to biblical passages where Jesus tells his followers that when they treat strangers with kindness, they are treating Jesus himself with kindness. "The stranger in case of undocumented immigrants is not being treated that well right now," Wallis said.
Rev. Sam Rodriguez, president of the national Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, said that after bailing out industries like banks and automakers, Obama and his administration should show similar grace to immigrants who are trying to support their families. Rodriguez said Obama needs to deliver on promises he made to the Latino community during his campaign.
The coalition issued a statement signed by 28 Christian organizations and 40 some leaders advocating things like reduced waiting times for separated families to be reunited, a legal process for immigrants already in the country to earn citizenship, dealing with the root causes in countries where immigrants come from.
By
William Wan
|
June 10, 2009; 3:05 PM ET
| Category:
God in Government
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Posted by: magellan1 | June 11, 2009 8:44 AM
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Where is the Christian faith for the 14,000,000 Unemployed American families?
Where is the Christian faith for the untold numbers of American families whose jobs are being outsourced or insourced by cheap foreign labor?
Where is out pouring of Christian faith for the growing American homeless population?
The Christian faith appears to have closed their eyes to what is happening to our fellow Americans and are instead wasting their energies on foreign criminals who are stealing jobs and identity of fellow Americans all to make business owners richer.
There is a passage that talks about teaching a man to fish and he will no longer go hungry, but today's Christian faith is teaching that its OK to steal and beg and if need be us RACE to get what you want instead of taking care of their own Countries needs.
If the Christian faith wants to truly help the illegal aliens populations, teach them work in their own countries and demand from their governments the needed change and not Americas as we can not even take care of our own growing unemployed populations.
Posted by: HernandezUSA | June 10, 2009 4:07 PM
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How can "religious groups" be so simplistic and narrow minded? There are at least 1.5 billion people in the world who would give anything to come to the United States, yet these people want to reserve the head of the line for many people whose only distinction is that they can wade across a narrow stream.
Sorry, but I'd like my national immigration policy to be governed by something more rational than that.