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In a joint letter to members of Congress, Catholic bishops and evangelical leaders pleaded for "common sense fixes to our immigration policies" by passing legislation this year.

In the Feb. 26 letter, 11 bishops and half a dozen evangelical leaders said that as religious leaders, "we live every day with the reality that our immigration system does not reflect our commitment to the values of human dignity, family unity and respect for the rule of law that define us as Americans."

At a briefing earlier in the week, the prospects for passage of an immigration bill this term were described as not impossible, but complicated.

Among the Catholics signing the letter were Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio L. Elizondo of Seattle, chairman of the Committee on Migration of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the immediate past chairman, Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez.

The key evangelical signers included Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals; the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; the Rev. Gabriel Salguero, president, National Latino Evangelical Coalition; and the Rev. Jim Wallis, founder and president of Sojourners.

The letter said the signers each day "witness the human tragedies created by our current system, including the separation of families and the violation of basic human dignity."

Echoing the language about the "rule of law" used by some opponents of immigration reform, the leaders said that "as a nation founded upon the principles of the rule of law and the centrality of family, we can no longer delay fixing this system."

It said they are hopeful for legislation that "respects the God-given dignity of every person, protects family unity, respects the rule of law, guarantees the integrity of our national borders, ensures fairness for taxpayers, and makes it possible for undocumented immigrants who meet the requirements to become citizens if they desire."

Other Catholic bishops signing the letter included: Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, Auxiliary Bishop John R. Manz of Chicago; Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington; Bishop Anthony B. Taylor of Little Rock, Ark.; Bishop Kevin W. Vann of Orange, Calif., Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami; Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City; and Auxiliary Bishop Luis R. Zarama of Atlanta.

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Catholics, evangelicals team up in pressing for immigration reform

(Photo: The Christian Post/Napp Nazworth)

Rev. Gabriel Salguero, president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, speaking at an Evangelical Immigration Table press conference, Washington, D.C., July 24, 2013.

February 27, 2014|1:16 pm

Leaders from the Evangelical Immigration Table and U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops joined in a letter to Congress asking for passage of a bill this year that fixes the immigration system.

"Common sense fixes to our immigration policies are long overdue. As a nation founded upon the principles of the rule of law and the centrality of family, we can no longer delay fixing this system," the letter states.

The leaders note that they encounter the difficulties caused by the nation's immigration system through interactions they have with people in their faith communities.

"As leaders in our respective faith communities, we live every day with the reality that our immigration system does not reflect our commitment to the values of human dignity, family unity and respect for the rule of law that define us as Americans. Each day we witness the human tragedies created by our current system, including the separation of families and the violation of basic human dignity," they wrote.

Besides passage of a bill this year, they ask that the bill "respects the God-given dignity of every person, protects family unity, respects the rule of law, guarantees the integrity of our national borders, ensures fairness for taxpayers, and makes it possible for undocumented immigrants who meet the requirements to become citizens if they desire."

Earlier this year, House Republican leaders announcedthat they would pursue immigration reform based upon a set of principles they agreed to. Later, though, Speaker of the House John Boehner announcedthat passage of a bill would be unlikely this year because his caucus did not trust President Barack Obama to faithfully implement the law.

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Pass Immigration Reform This Year, Catholic and Evangelical Leaders Ask Congress

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VISTA Local and national immigrant-rights activists held a series of events throughout North County on Wednesday to call on Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

The events were part of the Fast for Families Across America campaign, which asks people to lobby legislators and fast on Wednesdays in solidarity with unauthorized immigrants.

The campaign comes at a time when the prospects for comprehensive immigration reform appear all but dead this year. A broad immigration bill passed by the Senate last year is now stalled in the House and roughly 56 percent of Americans say immigration reform shouldnt be a top priority, according to a recent poll.

Many Americans also disagree on how to approach reform, with some pushing for a legal pathway to citizenship and others arguing for increased enforcement and stronger borders.

Fast for Families organizers said they want to push the discussion forward.

The campaign led by Eliseo Medina, secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union, and a handful of other advocates is making stops across the country over the next several weeks, ending in Washington D.C. on April 9.

On Wednesday, the group was joined by dozens of local activists including members of the North County Immigration Task Force, the American Friends Service Committee and Latinos Organizing for Action.

Their first stop was at the district office of Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, followed by a teach-in at MiraCosta College in Oceanside and a community meeting at Palomar Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Vista.

The nations immigration system is broken, said Cristian Avila, 23, one of the people traveling on the bus to Washington. Were here to have a conversation on how to fix it.

Avila, who was brought into the country illegally by his parents at the age of 9, and other activists are pushing for reforms that include a way for unauthorized immigrants to legalize their status.

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'Fast for Families' campaign stops in North County