Why Christian leaders put aside differences to push immigration reform (+video)
Over 250 evangelical leaders arrive on Capitol Hill Tuesday to urge Congress to pass immigration reform. Churches have been conspicuous in their support of immigration reform.
Two weeks ago, the Rev. Luis Corts stood outside the White House after he and other faith leaders came to town to talk about immigration reform.
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Tuesday morning, the same scene will play out on Capitol Hill, as over 250 evangelical pastors from 25 states meet with their members of Congress to urge them to take action on immigration reform.
With House Republicans safe in their seats and Senate Republicans in line to make gains this fall, the chances for any movement on immigration reform before the midterm elections looks dim. But religious leaders around the country don't appear willing to take "no" for an answer.
Though various denominations often don't see eye to eye on contentious social matters such as same-sex marriage and abortion, legislation to overhaul the nation's immigration system has overwhelmingly drawn them together.
"It is the first and only political issue in this country where we all agree," Mr. Corts told reporters on April 15.
Support from the pulpit for America's undocumented immigrants is hardly new. The sanctuary movement of the 1980s put pressure on politicians to take in immigrants fleeing the civil wars of Central America. Some say the movement played a role in the Reagan administration's decision to push for the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which granted legal status to some 3 million people.
Today, immigrants are becoming increasingly integral members of shrinking American churches, and that has given the push for immigration reform a different kind of urgency.
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Why Christian leaders put aside differences to push immigration reform (+video)