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Alexandria, VA--(HISPANIC PR WIRE – US NEWSWIRE)--June 14, 2006--Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, today pressed Congress to approve just, fair and comprehensive immigration reform, adding that how Congress fixes America’s broken immigration system will say a great deal about who we are and what we value as a nation.
“Passage of these needed immigration reforms will require Congress to turn contentiousness into consensus, replace emotion with reason and bridge divisiveness with bipartisanship,” Father Snyder wrote in a letter sent to all members of Congress.
Catholic Charities USA, whose members help more than half a million immigrants and refugees with legal services, language instruction, job training and placement, and social services, believes that any immigration bill approved by Congress must do a better job of protecting the nation’s security and protecting the dignity of newcomers to this country.
In his letter to Congress, Snyder said that an enforcement-only bill that focuses solely on building barriers at the nation’s borders is the wrong approach. Instead, he said, reform must be fair, just, and comprehensive. “It should protect U.S. security, put undocumented laborers and their families on the path to lawful permanent residence and citizenship, and create greater legal avenues for necessary workers to enter this country,” he wrote.
Father Snyder warned that while Catholic Charities wants to see the broken immigration system fixed, it will not support a flawed bill. “If Congress passes a deeply flawed bill, we will ask President Bush to veto any legislation that does not meet his principled call for comprehensive and balanced immigration reform,” wrote Father Snyder.
The House and Senate have passed two very different versions of immigration reform, and the two sides will need to find a compromise. But as this immigration debate continues, Catholic Charities USA called on Congress not to waste this opportunity to pass meaningful reform.
“You have an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of millions of people who are seeking the promise of a better tomorrow here in the United States,” Father Snyder wrote. “You must seize this opportunity, turn away from those seeking only punishment and banishment, and instead offer hope and assistance to those who need it most.”
The letter is online at http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/news/letters/. For more information on Catholic Charities USA’s immigration reform agenda, visit http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org.
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CONTACT
Shelley Borysiewicz
(703) 236-6218
sborysiewicz@catholiccharitiesusa.org |
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