Stranger God (Richard Beck) -- A Review

With the Senate again taking up the important Immigration Reform package, here is an alert and call for action from Church World Service, an outreach of the World Council of Churches. It's important that we deal with the immigration issue and soon. This is some recommended actions in regard to it.

Action Alert: From Church World Service

Comprehensive immigration reform bill

Phone your Senators and ask them to support this bill

The U.S. Senate today voted to resume debate on the Secure Borders, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Reform Act (S. 1639). After considering a series of amendments, the Senate could take final action on the bill on Friday.

Take five minutes now to phone your two Senators and ask them to support:

Provisions that protect family unity. No family-based visa application should be tossed out merely because of the current large backlog. Rather, those applications should be processed expeditiously. Any “point system” for awarding visas should complement rather than replace family-based visas, so U.S. citizens and permanent residents can be joined by family members as is currently immigration law.

A safe and fair worker program. Much undocumented immigration results from the shortage of adequate, appropriate avenues to live and work legally in the United States. The temporary worker program in S. 1639 is not the solution. Workers should not be forced to leave the United States every two years. They should be able to renew their visas and bring their families. Their employee rights must be protected fully.

A purposeful, rather than punitive, earned legalization program. Applicants should not be forced to “touch back” in their home countries; many eligible immigrants would fear separation from their families and not participate, and U.S. embassies in many countries lack the capacity to implement the program as written. Also, fines should be reasonable, not overly punitive.

Smart, targeted enforcement. Our national security should be enhanced through workplace enforcement, more accessible legal ports of entry and earned legalization, rather than policies that have failed in the past such as fences and the militarization of the border. Reforms should enable employers to verify applicants' immigration status and hold them accountable for hiring undocumented workers. Enforcement provisions should not serve as "triggers" that will delay other necessary reforms.

A mandate that police ensure the safety of all, not serve as immigration officials. Urge Senators to resist amendments to S. 1639 that would mandate state and local police to serve as immigration officials – a specialty that demands proper training. Such amendments would discourage immigrants from reporting crime, leave them targeted by criminals, and divert police efforts from combating crime.

Safeguards for asylum seekers. Penalties for using false documents would be increased under S.1639. However, many asylum seekers fleeing persecution resort to document fraud as the only way to leave their country. Under international law, most asylum seekers cannot be penalized for these acts if they admit to and turn in the documents within a certain time frame. Senators should amend S.1639 to strengthen protections for asylum seekers against penalties for using false documents while attempting to flee persecution.