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Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service Welcomes Introduction of McCain-Kennedy Bipartisan Immigration Reform
BALTIMORE, May 17, 2005—Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) welcomes the introduction on May 12 of proposed immigration reform legislation called the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act of 2005 (S. 1033/H.R. 2330). The bills were introduced in the Senate by Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA), and in the House by Reps. Jim Kolbe (R-AZ08), Jeff Flake (R-AZ06) and Luis Gutierrez (D-IL04).
“Each nation has the sovereign responsibility to control its borders and also to create policies consistent with its constitutional and humanitarian values,” noted LIRS President Ralston H. Deffenbaugh. “As a faith-based agency, LIRS welcomes the stranger as Christ called us to do. While this reform proposal includes compromises, we see it as a hopeful step toward establishing policies that enhance human dignity and family values for migrants.”
The bipartisan legislation includes provisions to establish
- tighter border security,
- a worker visa program that will allow orderly legal migration of essential workers in the future,
- an earned adjustment program for certain current undocumented workers,
- family unity for certain current workers,
- a path toward permanent status for patient, hardworking immigrants,
- protection for certain widows and orphans,
- civic integration of newcomers into U.S. society, and
- reimbursement to states for expenses related to undocumented non-citizens.
The legislation goes a long way toward fixing our broken immigration system. As has always been the case, people migrate to the United States for family, work and freedom—to unite with loved ones, to take up employment or to seek refuge from persecution. We have heard time and again from pastors and local immigration service partners of hardworking immigrants—especially in the agriculture, construction and hospitality industries—who are providing needed skills and services to our communities. They are honest, hardworking people who take care of our parents in nursing homes, clean our offices at night, harvest the food for our tables and care for our children. Despite their vital contributions, they have often found themselves forced to work without fair wages, safe conditions or job security, and must often live in inhumane conditions. This legislation will help them secure critical legal status and a path to permanency in the United States. It also provides a system that will decrease the incentive for undocumented migration, providing future willing workers a legal, orderly way to connect with employers who cannot find U.S. citizens to fill their jobs.
We also know of the challenges for those currently in the United States with valid documents. For example, the visa system that is intended to unite families of immigrants and refugees is so backed up that processing some categories of visas can take up to 20 years. This legislation would help unite many of these families.
LIRS applauds the hard work and dedication of Sens. McCain and Kennedy and Reps. Kolbe, Flake and Gutierrez, who put party differences aside to propose legislation for the common good. LIRS also commends President Bush for his continued leadership in calling for immigration reform. And LIRS calls on others in Congress to co-sponsor the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act of 2005 (S. 1033/H.R. 2330).
LIRS has developed four principles for comprehensive immigration reform based on what migrant communities, churches, and service providers have told us best meet the needs of newcomers and the communities in which they live and work. Meaningful reform should
- unite families,
- ensure human rights and workers’ rights,
- allow those working “below the radar” to live freely and openly in our society, and
- give immigrants willing to contribute to our economy and society a path toward citizenship in the United States.
“We are pleased that the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act, while including compromise, goes a long way to fulfilling these principles,” said Deffenbaugh. “We look forward to continuing to work with Congress and the administration through this legislation and future proposals to assure a system that embodies these principles.”
About Lutheran Immigration Service
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), the U.S. Lutheran expression of service to refugees and migrants in America, works with affiliates and partners to resettle refugees, protect unaccompanied refugee children, advocate for just treatment of asylum seekers, and seek alternatives to detention for those who are incarcerated during their immigration proceedings.
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