ELCA NEWS SERVICE

April 2, 2007  

ELCA Synod Bishops Meet with Members of Congress on Immigration Reform
07-049-AL/CC*

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Several synod bishops of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) urged their members of Congress
and key congressional staff March 22 to enact comprehensive
immigration reform in 2007 that is "humane and for the common
good."
     Specifically, the bishops emphasized that comprehensive
immigration reform legislation must:
+ protect and unite families
+ protect human rights and worker rights
+ end marginalization
+ provide a path to permanence and eventual citizenship
        Key components that the bishops believe help to fulfill
these principles include:  elimination of the family visa
backlogs; fair and humane enforcement provisions and the
elimination of the unnecessary detention of families and
children; earned legalization of the nation's 10 million
undocumented people; a future worker visa program to meet the
economy's employment needs; and a path to permanent residence and
eventual citizenship for those who earn legalization or receive
temporary work visas and who choose to be permanent members of
communities.
     "Our theology and practice call us to be a public church and
to speak boldly and confidently in the public arena," said the
Rev. Edward R. Benoway, bishop of the Florida-Bahamas Synod,
Tampa. "Being a church of immigrants, we must pull from our own
life stories to give encouragement and support to new immigrants
of our present day."
     Bishops met with both Republican and Democratic legislators
from their districts, and also met with Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.,
chair of the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Border
Security and International Law. Before their meetings on Capitol
Hill, the bishops listened to several briefing sessions on
immigration, including briefings from Matt Wilch, senior counsel
for policy and advocacy, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
(LIRS); Christina DeConcini, director of policy, National
Immigration Forum; Ur Mendoza Jaddou, chief counsel, House
Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border
Security and International Law; and Flavia Jimenez, National
Council of La Raza. In between briefings, the bishops had time to
discuss the scriptural basis for immigration issues and to plan
next steps to take on the issue. The two-day event was hosted by
the ELCA and LIRS.
     This was the first meeting of a group of bishops who
identified immigration issues as a critical priority in their own
communities and on a national level. The bishops are planning to
request a meeting with President George W. Bush to discuss
comprehensive immigration reform, in addition to other advocacy
efforts in the coming months.
     "The Lutheran bishops are united in their resolve not only to
'welcome the stranger' but to embrace the worlds, cultures,
issues and gifts they bring with them," said the Rev. Stephen P.
Bouman, bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod. "What
kind of community will emerge in this changed, global world? This
spiritual conversation was at the heart of our conversations with
our leaders in Congress, and undergirds a vision for
comprehensive reform of immigration policy which takes seriously
both our need for security and the well-being of families who are
our new neighbors."
     "We are moved by the bishops' pastoral concern and prophetic
witness on behalf of the most vulnerable newcomers in our midst,"
said Ralston H. Deffenbaugh, Jr., LIRS president. "LIRS is
committed to working with policy makers, the Lutheran churches,
and with the wider community to help create a system that is
humane, that works for the common good and that helps to assure
welcoming communities for newcomers."
     Similar groups of ELCA bishops have self-selected to work on
other advocacy issues, including the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, hunger and poverty, and the environment. These groups
will be available to testify before Congress, speak to the media,
write editorials, and encourage the people in their synods and
other bishops to take grassroots action on these issues.
     In addition to Benoway and Bouman, bishops present at the
gathering were:
+ The Rev. Paul J. Blom, bishop of the ELCA Texas-Louisiana Gulf
Coast Synod, Houston
+ The Rev. Gerald L. Mansholt, bishop of the ELCA Central States
Synod, Kansas City, Mo.
+ The Rev. Theodore F. Schneider, bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan
Washington, D.C., Synod
+ The Rev. Paul W. Stumme-Diers, bishop of the ELCA Greater
Milwaukee Synod
     LIRS, based in Baltimore, is a cooperative agency of the
ELCA, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and the Latvian
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. LIRS works to resettle
refugees, protect unaccompanied refugee children, advocate for
fair and just treatment of asylum seekers and seek alternatives
to detention for those who are incarcerated during their
immigration proceedings.
---
*Cassandra Champion is director for communications, Lutheran
Immigration and Refugee Service

     Information about comprehensive immigration reform, is at
http://www.lirs.org or at http://www.ELCA.org/advocacy/issues/immigration on the Web.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
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