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Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Comprehensive Immigration Reform. How is the system broken? Who can fix it? What can I do?. “The Legal Way”. Employment-Based Immigration. Refuge / Asylum. Family-Based Immigration. Diversity Lottery. Employment-Based Immigration. 140,000 Permanent Resident Visas Annually

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Comprehensive Immigration Reform

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  1. Comprehensive Immigration Reform • How is the system broken? • Who can fix it? • What can I do?

  2. “The Legal Way” Employment-Based Immigration Refuge / Asylum Family-Based Immigration Diversity Lottery

  3. Employment-BasedImmigration 140,000 Permanent Resident Visas Annually • Primarily for immigrants with “extraordinary ability” and “holding advanced degrees” • Not an option for the vast majority of immigrants

  4. Refugees / Asylees 55,000 refugees annually • For those fleeing persecution for reason of • Race • Religion • National origin • Political opinion • Membership in a particular social group • Not for those fleeing • Economic hardship • Environmental or natural disasters • Determination of refugee / asylee status can be tied to U.S. political interests and foreign policy

  5. Diversity Lottery 50,000 visas issued annually • Must have high school education or two-years professional experience to apply • Odds of winning the 2009 lottery were 1 in 182 • No Visa Lottery for • Mexico, the Philippines, India, China, Canada, Haiti, El Salvador, England, South Korea, and Poland, among others

  6. Family-Based Immigration At least 226,000 Permanent Resident Visas annually • A citizen or LPR can petition for their: • Spouse • Unmarried children • Parents • sibling • No other family relationships qualify (grandparents, uncles, cousins, in-laws, etc.)

  7. No legal way • Forget it if you: • Were here illegally (10 year bar) • Have committed a crime (retroactive) • Have falsely claimed citizenship (even accidentally) • ever in any way provided “material support” to a “terrorist organization” (even under duress)

  8. Statistics and Graphic from the Pew Hispanic Center, March 2006

  9. Oh, the myths! • Myth: Immigrants don’t pay taxes. • Immigrants pay $140 billion / year • Myth: Immigrants come here for welfare. • Undocumented / temporary workers are not eligible • Myth: Immigrants drain the US economy. • Net gain for federal economy (some loss for local economies) • Myth: Immigrants don’t want to learn English. • Within 10 years, 75% are English speakers • Myth: The war on terrorism can be won through restricting immigration. • Our immigrant-targeted security efforts have netted no terrorism prosecutions.

  10. “But Nana came legally…”

  11. Chinese Exclusion Act bans Chinese mig-ration for ten years (renewed until 1943). Congress bans “all idiots, insane persons, paupers… diseased… convicts, polygamists National-origins quota system, favoring Northern Euro-peans. Home-stead Act grants citizens title to 160 acres And then… 1790 1862 1875 1882 1890 1891 1903 1921 1924 Naturalization for “free white persons” with 2 years residency and loyalty to US Const. More ex-clusions: epilep-tics, profes-sional beggars, anar-chists Johnson-Reed Act: new quota system which preserved US “racial” composition, bans Japanese. Convicts, prostitutes, coolies barred from entry. Peak (to date) ratio immi-grants in US: 14.8% (today it’s 12%)

  12. REAL ID Act increases restrictions on asylum, reduces right to trial, increases enforcement, restricts state drivers’ licenses. Drastic changes to asylum law, enforcement agents’ authority, definition of crimes and detention policy, access to public assistance Immigration Act of 1965 ends race-based quotas, establishes ceiling, begins preferences McCain – Kennedy bill, Compre-hensive Immigration Reform, fails. 1965 1986 1996 2002 2005 2006 2007 Immigration Reform & Control Act: amnesty, employer punishment, working without papers becomes a crime. Secure Fence Act builds 700 miles of fence on Southern border. US Patriot Act allows detain, prosecute, and remove aliens suspected of terrorism; restricts immigration appeals; expands detention policy

  13. Thinking faithfully about immigration • Identity of humans • Immigrants in the Bible • Commands in the Bible • Code of hospitality • Law abiding

  14. Image of God • Gen 1:26-27, “Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, in our likeness… So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” • Worth • Potential to contribute

  15. Biblical migrants • Daniel • Ezra • Nehemiah • Esther • Jesus • Early church • Abraham • Isaac • Jacob • Joseph • Naomi, Ruth

  16. God’s law • Outsiders (alien, orphan, widow) were vulnerable • Food • Fair and timely wage • Fair legal proceedings • Participation in religious practices • Remember your history • Display the heart of God

  17. Hospitality • Called to show to strangers (not friends) - Luke 14:12-14 • Called to reflect Christ - “Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” (Romans 15:7) • Good Samaritan – it was the “outsider” who was the hero, neighbor. (Luke 10)

  18. Rule of Law • Romans 13, “…everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities” since “the authorities that exist have been established by God.” • Acts 5, “But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than any human authority…’”

  19. Comprehensive Immigration Reform • Enforcement! (That is humane) • Reform family-based system (waiting times) • A process immigrant workers to earn citizenship (upon satisfaction of specific criteria) • Expand ways for workers and families to enter and work in a safe and legal manner (with rights protected) • Address the root causes of migration (economic disparities)

  20. So what. • Learn • www.crcjustice.org (issue: immigration) • Teach • Sunday school curriculum, book studies, film discussions, etc. • Speak • Comprehensive Immigration Reform

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