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R-5 passed
A CALL
FOR CONVERSATION AND COMPASSION WHEREAS, God calls us in the Scriptures to welcome and show hospitality to the stranger, the alien and the sojourner in our midst, since we were once sojourners in Egypt; and WHEREAS, our Lord Jesus Christ continually reached out to the outcast and oppressed in his society offering acceptance, affirmation, forgiveness and healing, and calls us to do the same; and WHEREAS, our nation is presently involved in efforts to examine and reform our national immigration policies; and WHEREAS, some are calling for harsh punishment for those who have ignored or violated our present confusing and often inconsistently applied immigration policies, including those who offer humanitarian aid and spiritual comfort to these often desperate people; and WHEREAS, racism has often been a factor in the opposition to more caring and humane immigration policies and enforcement; and WHEREAS, our Presiding Bishop, Mark Hanson, together with the president of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service has prepared a statement offering Christian perspectives and principles that should inform our national immigration policies; and
WHEREAS,
this statement
(copy attached) has been endorsed by 58 Bishops
of our WHEREAS, many of the congregations of our Northern Illinois Synod serve communities with significant immigrant populations; therefore be it RESOLVED, that the congregations of the Northern Illinois Synod make their members aware of the statements and guidance from our Church, and provide opportunities for information and discussion of immigration issues among the youth and adults of our congregations, and encourage them to advocate for immigration reform that reflects the Christian and humane principles; and be it further RESOLVED, that our congregations be encouraged to seek ways to welcome, affirm and support the immigrant populations in their own communities, those who are the aliens and sojourners in our midst today; and be it further RESOLVED, that this and other resolutions on immigration issues be published and distributed in Spanish and other pertinent languages so that our church’s positions may be widely known in immigrant communities.
Submitted by: The
Anti-Racism Team of the
Contact Person:
Pr.
Date Submitted:
Action of the Resolution Committee
Date of Action:
Action Taken: Recommend the Resolution Evangelical Lutherans Call for Fair and Just Immigration Reform
Statement of
Mark S. Hanson Presiding
Bishop, Ralston H. Deffenbaugh, Jr. President, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
In difficult and threatening times, churches and all
Christians have an obligation to stand with the word of God
against those who use fear to deny fundamental human rights
and dignity to the stranger in our midst.
We, the presiding bishop of the There are those who may wish to characterize this position as weakening our national vigilance against terrorism; it does not, and it would be wrong to so imply. The ELCA has a very strong statement regarding the threat of terrorism and so advocates, but we believe the current immigration reform effort does not protect this country. Rather, it denies fundamental human rights and limits the ministry of the church to those residing in our land. We reject “enforcement only” legislation that separates families; that criminalizes undocumented men, women and children; that criminalizes churches, their pastors and lay people who minister to the alien in their communities; that denies a legal path to permanent residence for millions already in the United States working for our companies and businesses; and denies fair treatment for farm workers who provide our daily bread. We therefore request the following specific changes in legislation presently under consideration: Oppose the criminalization of the church, its ministers and its members, who provide humanitarian aid to undocumented immigrants. The current criminalization provision provides for seizure of assets used to further these humanitarian acts. Oppose provisions which criminalize undocumented presence. Such provisions raise punishment of immigration violations out of proportion to the nature of the offense, punishing immigrants who seek only to work or remain with their families with sentences of up to two years. Provisions relating to criminal gangs should be amended to exclude children whose participation is involuntary, or who are fleeing the gangs. Each case must be considered on its own merits.
Provide a path to permanence
for individuals currently residing and working in the
Ensure basic constitutional due process rights in the
enforcement of our laws.
We recognize the need to increase the security of our
borders, but we cannot accept the curtailment of fundamental
due process rights. Language in the bill
would wall off access to the courts in many situations where
it is now possible, eliminating checks and balances which
form the basis of Include in the legislation the bipartisan “Agricultural Job Opportunities Act” for farm workers, a measure negotiated by growers, agricultural employers and farm workers to create an “earned adjustment” program enabling some undocumented farm workers and H-2A guest workers to obtain temporary immigration status with the possibility of permanence and that revises the existing H-2A worker program. Finally, we oppose the rush-to-judgment atmosphere that is currently surrounding this issue. Complex language that would affect the lives of millions of people is being discussed in back rooms of Senate chambers, with insufficient time for understanding, public discussion, and reasoned consideration of the consequences. As members of a church with immigrants, and with roots in immigrant churches in a nation of immigrants, we urge the Congress to make these corrections to the bill, or to reject it.
ELCA
Bishops Who Endorse the Statement
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