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IssuesCivil Rights of Immigrants CampaignOur faith calls us to view immigration as an act of hope in search of a life of dignity and justice. People have an inherent dignity that must be honored and respected. When injustice and extreme poverty combine to strip people of their dignity, we recognize that they have a right to change their circumstances. We honor the innate dignity of human beings by protecting their right to food, shelter, clothing and the opportunity to provide for their own good and the good of society. In a world “in which global poverty and persecution are rampant, the presumption is that persons must migrate in order to support and protect themselves and that nations who are able to receive them should do so whenever possible.”[1] Immigrants who migrate to this country do so in order to participate in their own human development. They are searching for jobs that increase their dignity; they are searching for wages sufficient to support their families. They want to openly participate in the social fabric of the community. Instead, those without documents are forced to live in the shadows, hoping to blend into the silence rather than be leaders of the community. Fear exists on all sides of the immigration question– fear among undocumented immigrants because they are forced to act outside the law and into a life at the edges of society where they are exploited and abused; fear among immigrants, in general, because they are discriminated against; and fear among non-immigrants who believe that their abundance (jobs, tax money, social services) is threatened by the new immigrants. In order to realize the potential of our richly diverse community we must overcome this fear. But current immigration laws keep us divided and keep those who have helped create the nation’s abundance from participating in it. These laws promote exploitation and injustice. They are immoral. Historically the United States “has consistently received refugees, exiles, and the persecuted from other lands. Fleeing injustice and oppression and seeking liberty and the opportunity to achieve a full life, many have found work, homes, security, liberty, and growth for themselves and their families.”[2] We also have a history in this country of changing laws that are unjust. Churches have been at the forefront of many of these struggles. It is time again for people of faith to be at the forefront in calling on our elected leaders to change an unjust, immoral immigration system. Our immigration laws must be characterized by the principles of justice, fairness, mercy, and respect. Changing these laws is not just about helping immigrants; it is about respecting human dignity and about creating community for all of us. We can imagine the society we want to live in: immigrants and non-immigrants living together in a richly diverse community; we have no fear of those who are different; we are confident that we can all share in the abundance of God; and we live in a world of justice. We cannot realize this vision without first changing the immigration laws of this country. [1] Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope.” A Pastoral Letter Concerning Migration from the Catholic Bishops of Mexico and the United States, number 15. Issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, January 22, 2003. National Partners: We can not win Comprehensive Immigration Reform alone
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