Happy Monday! While it’s not always my favorite day of the week, at least there’s good news. The Aitkin Independent Age has published an op-ed in favor of immigration reform by Bob Munneke, chair of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America‘s NE Minnesota Synod Task Force on Immigration, Refugees and Asylum Seekers Justice.
In his July 5 piece, “How Soon We Forget We are All Immigrants,” he writes:
How soon we forget, here in Minnesota, that most of our grandparents or great-grandparents were born in another nation, and passed through Ellis Island under the watchful eye of the Statue of Liberty.
I am struck by how easily we forget these simple facts, just as we easily forget the reasons why America needs fair and humane immigration reform. For one thing, fair immigration reform will unlock the entrepreneurial spirit of immigrants, which is currently stifled by our broken system.
The op-ed concludes by calling on Minnesotans to raise their voices in support of immigration reform:
Throughout our national history, each wave of immigrants faced opposition. How soon we forget that we are all immigrants. But we note that there were always folks who opened their hearts and their churches and their communities to welcome, and help the newly arrived to settle in.
In our era, S.744 will help set the stage for that welcome. But now we need to go about the hard work of securing fair, effective and compassionate immigration reform. Without significant reminders, Republicans and Democrats alike are vulnerable to forgetfulness. We need to urge them to come together to create a bill that mirrors S.744’s strengths in the House of Representatives, so those elected officials must hear from us, too.
We can keep our memories, like our communities, intact. Immigration reform will help with both.
You can read the entire piece by clicking the link on the headline above. Please show your support by leaving a positive comment, promoting the piece through Facebook and other social media, and sending the link to your friends, colleagues, and family.
Now that much of immigration reform’s fate hangs in the balance in the House, it’s critical that this type of op-ed run in papers nationwide. We’re thankful that Bob Munneke took part in our Lutheran Immigration Leadership Summit this spring, and that he agreed to write this piece. We’re also grateful to the Aitkin Independent Age for helping him reach Minnesotans with the reasons we need immigration reform.
On to the House! You can raise your own voice for fair immigration reform in many ways, including contacting your elected officials through the LIRS Action Center.