FOR RELEASE: February 9, 2015
CONTACT: Stephanie Niedringhaus, 202-347-9797 x224, [email protected]

Washington: Sister Simone Campbell, NETWORK Executive Director, today sent a letter to Members of Congress calling on them to reject efforts to weaken or end protections for immigrants made possible through recent executive orders on immigration. The letter also expressed NETWORK’s opposition to legislation that would further militarize our southern border, roll back anti-trafficking protections, and threaten rights enshrined in the Constitution. This is critically important right now as Congress considers legislation and amendments to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill. The text of the letter follows:

Dear Speaker Boehner, Majority Leader McConnell and all Representatives and Senators:

Pope Francis reminds us, in his letter Joy of the Gospel, that “realities are more important than ideas.” The reality is that our current immigration system is broken and doesn’t work for the common good. This is a reality acknowledged by a chorus of political leaders across party lines and around the country. There have been numerous attempts to fix this system, most recently with the passage of a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the U.S. Senate two years ago. Although reform efforts failed in the House of Representatives, the grim reality produced by a broken system remains.

Businesses – from high tech companies to farms – have clamored for policies that provide opportunities for talented immigrants to fill critical jobs. Government agencies have struggled to find ways to most efficiently utilize limited resources to keep the U.S. safe in an era of tight budgets. Most importantly, immigrant children live in fear that their mother or father could be deported back to a country they have not called home for many years.

The president’s executive actions on immigration are stopgap measures responding to the reality produced by Congressional inaction. The U.S. cannot have a 100% deportation policy; it would neither be morally acceptable nor fiscally prudent. While we know that Congress must still take up the task of reforming our broken immigration system, we ask you to support maintaining the protections provided by the president’s actions. These policies affect families living in every state of this Union who contribute to our communities every day and who live in fear of deportation.

As you consider upcoming legislation and amendments to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill, we urge you to reject legislation that would end or weaken the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for the Parents of Americans (DAPA) programs and other provisions made possible through recent executive orders on immigration. We have seen the benefits of DACA to young recipients and their families and we know that the expansion of DACA and the implementation of DAPA will add to those blessings.

We are very concerned about H.R. 399, the Secure Our Borders First Act of 2015 introduced by Representative Michael Mc Caul (R-10-TX), which would further militarize our southern border, endanger local communities, and threaten rights enshrined in the Constitution. The bill’s “operational control” goals are unrealistic and ignore the fact that many individuals have legitimate claims to asylum. Any border bill must address the need for Border Patrol accountability, with short term custody standards and a viable complaint process for victims of abuse. We urge members to reject H.R. 399 and work together to help revitalize border communities, not militarize them.

NETWORK strongly opposes H.R. 2278, the Strengthen and Fortify Enforcement (SAFE Act) introduced last year, and will work to defeat any legislation that would criminalize immigrants and the individuals who provide them aid; expand immigrant detention; encourage state and local law enforcement officials to collaborate with immigration enforcement efforts; or decrease protections and immigration relief for certain migrant groups.

Finally, we join other people of faith in opposing legislation that would rollback critical anti-trafficking protections for children and individuals seeking protection from persecution, including the misnamed Protection of Children Act (H.R.5143) and The Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act (H.R.5137) introduced in the last Congress. These bills would roll back the bipartisan Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act signed into law by President Bush and would result in children being forced back into the hands of traffickers, gangs, and others who seek to exploit them.

Pope Francis cautions that “migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity” and he asks political leaders to create a new system, one that “calls for international cooperation and a spirit of profound solidarity and compassion.” This is a holy call to embrace hope over fear. Congress should recognize the God-given humanity of each individual and uphold our sacred call to welcome the stranger in our midst. Action that further militarizes our borders, criminalizes assistance to immigrant communities or weakens legal protection of refugees is not just.

We pray that elected officials actively oppose any effort to weaken the protection provided to families by the president’s executive orders. The people benefiting from protection are the same people in our churches, in our neighborhoods and at work. We further ask that Congress finish the task of crafting and passing reform aimed at keeping families together and providing a pathway to citizenship for our undocumented brothers and sisters.

Sincerely,

Sister Simone Campbell, SSS
NETWORK Executive Director

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