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From the President’s Desk Collapse of Immigration Reform Means Increased Need for Pastoral Care for the Undocumented and Their Families It was a heavy blow in late June when Congress abandoned efforts to adopt comprehensive immigration reform. Yes, the compromise Senate bill was badly flawed, and LIRS urged that it not be adopted unless it could be substantially improved, but the fact remains that our nation’s immigration law is as badly broken as ever. Politically, it is unlikely that the Congress will again take up immigration reform until 2009 at the earliest. In the meantime the situation for the estimated 12 million undocumented persons in the United States, and for their families, will get even worse. In the absence of a legalization program, I fear that the federal immigration authorities will pursue an enforcement-only approach. In particular, the recent rise in interior workplace raids has served to divide families: undocumented workers are swept up and taken away from their children and other loved ones, a considerable proportion of whom are citizens or otherwise legally present in the United States. The current system allows for no mercy, no way for undocumented persons to stay in this country even if they have been honest, hardworking, law-abiding, long-established members of our communities, even if families will be torn apart. This type of enforcement is inhumane, inconsistent with our nation’s values of family unity and public order. Enforcement is also on the rise at the state and local level. I am just back from a visit to my mother in Arizona. There the governor has signed a law that takes away Arizona business licenses from companies that knowingly or intentionally hire undocumented workers. Beginning January 1, 2008, the law requires all Arizona businesses to use the federal Basic Pilot Program database to determine the immigration legal status of every employee. The law faces serious hurdles: on the legal side, the question is whether the whole field of immigration enforcement is pre-empted by federal law, leaving the states without authority in this area. Practically, there are serious questions whether the federal pilot program can ramp up to handle the dramatically increased volume of employer inquiries, and especially whether it can do so accurately. Under its current small-scale voluntary operation there is already a 4 percent error rate. Finally, there are serious questions about the impact of this law on the Arizona economy. A new study from the University of Arizona shows that without noncitizen workers—both documented and undocumented—Arizona’s economic output would drop by 8.2 percent. What does all this mean for us in the churches and for us at LIRS? We are already seeing an increased level of anxiety and fear within our congregations and communities as the undocumented among us feel all the more insecure and vulnerable. More and more will be apprehended and deported, leaving families agonizingly divided. The demand for legal advice and services will rise, especially for those awaiting deportation in immigration detention facilities. Yet the possibilities for legal relief will be frustratingly few. As I said above, the current system allows for no mercy. We at LIRS will do our best to provide educational information to pastors and congregations about the current law and about what few areas of legal relief there might be. Pastors and congregations should be prepared to provide pastoral care for those who are being deported and for the family members left behind. In their statement of June 2, 2006, Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod president Gerald Kieschnick and LCMS World Relief/Human Care executive Matthew Harrison observed, "Millions of undocumented persons have come to the United States for many and various reasons. They have come to flee oppression of many sorts, including extreme poverty and hunger. They have come to make provision for their loved ones. They have come in order to end separation from loved ones. They have come illegally because they have deemed that the legal route is nearly impossible to maneuver. They have come because they can work, and they find dignity in labor. We recognize also that a small percentage have come for malevolent reasons." We at LIRS will continue to strive for a healthy immigration system that weeds out the small percentage who are malevolent and that lifts up the vast majority who are coming for noble reasons: to flee oppression, to be together with loved ones, to work. We will continue to call upon the Lutheran community and others of good will to build communities of hope that welcome and care for the stranger in our midst. The task will require commitment and perseverance, but it is our Lord’s call.
Welcoming the Immigrant: Information and Resources for Lutheran Congregations (PDF brochure)
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