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Congregational Letter to Congress:
[Name of Point Person]
[Return Address of Point Person]
[City, State, ZIP]
[Return Address of Point Person]
[City, State, ZIP]
Dear Representative:
The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) has long
called for the reform of our broken immigration system. Presbyterians
around the country have advocated for just and humane immigration reform and
this work has been rooted in the beliefs that all people are made in the image
of God and that God calls us to welcome and love our neighbors. As people of
faith, we are committed to speak out on our call to serve all those in need and
to stand with the oppressed still today.
As such, we believe that
it is time for a just and compassionate immigration reform that reflects the
principles drafted by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A).
We urge Representative [enter name here]
to support reform that reflects the following:
•
Provides a reasonable and inclusive path to citizenship
without punitive costs, long waiting periods, or other irksome conditions for
immigrants living in the U.S.
•
Preserves family unity by ensuring that we avoid the separation of
families, revising visa preferences and caps, and eliminating visa
backlogs.
•
Enacts border policies consistent
with humanitarian values and with the need to treat all individuals with
respect. Specifically, we are gravely concerned about the negative impact of
the building of walls designed to move migrants to more dangerous parts of the
border, the increased number of federal agents, and the deployments of armed
National Guards to an already volatile region.
•
Requires humane
enforcement procedures that reduce human smuggling and migrant deaths, and
that aim to eliminate human and civil rights abuses. Such measures should
include abolishing enforcement programs such as Operation Streamline and
arrangements that involve local agencies in the enforcement of immigration
laws, such as “287(g)” agreements and the Secure Communities program.
These programs lack oversight and transparency and have led to racial
profiling, undermining the stability of communities and trust of law
enforcement.
•
Facilitates integration of immigrants into our communities by
celebrating the culture and languages of their homelands, by providing civics
education and legal assistance to regularize their status, and by providing access to all social
services.
•
Eliminates lengthy
detentions, except for those accused of
dangerous crimes, strengthens due process protections at every stage of
the system, and establish and stringently enforce minimum standards of care in
all detention facilities.
•
Enacts enforceable detention
reforms, including rigorous medical treatment standards and increased
access to pastoral care, legal counsel, and legal orientation programs.
Such reforms should also include the release of individuals who pose no
risk to the community and expand use of community-based alternatives to
detention that are more humane and cost-effective.
•
Protects all workers from exploitation, abuse, and affronts to their dignity
by enforcing labor and employment laws that provide fair wages, and the right
to organize and seek redress for grievances.
•
Provides safe, legal,
and realistic paths for future migration, consistent with the needs of
the U.S. economy without undercutting the employment of anyone already working
in the U.S., allow new migrants to bring their families with them and allow
them the freedom to change places of employment.
•
Pass legislation
comparable to the DREAM Act that provides a pathway to citizenship for eligible
students.
Our
prayer is that the House of Representatives will support these values and move
quickly to see that just and compassionate reform is passed.
Thank you
for your service to our district.
Sincerely,
List of Signatories and their addresses
