WELCOMING THE STRANGER
The Stranger who sojourn with you
shall be to you as the natives among
you, and you shall love them as
yourself; for you were strangers in the
land of Egypt. - Leviticus
19:33-34.
Every human being has the right to
freedom of movement and of
residence within the confines of
his/her own country; and when there
are just reasons for it, the right to
emigrate to other countries and take
up residence there. The fact
that one is a citizen of a particular State
does not detract in any way from
his/her membership in the human family
as a whole, nor from his or her
citizenship in the world community.
Pacem in Terris: Peace on Earth, 1963 Pope John XXIII
Everyone has the right to freedom of
movement and residence within
the borders of each State. - Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, Article 13.
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On
the issue of immigration, we at 8th Day Center have seen this issue
as another expression of our concern in promoting the rights and
dignity
of all members of the human community. We have and continue to
accept the principles expressed above when it comes to how we should
treat our fellow migrants.
The immigrant community is core to the historical development of the
United States and this nation has benefitted enormously from migrants
throughout the years. The immigrant community has paid between $90
and $140 billion a year in taxes. In one conservative estimate,
immigrants
earn about $240 billion a year, pay about $90 billion a year in taxes,
and
use about $5 billion in public funds, thus dispelling the myth that
they
abuse our welfare system and drain our resources.
Currently our nation is concerned with national security and as a
result
it has taken an aggressive stand against the immigrant community. We
believe that our national security concerns would be better addressed
with
an immigration system that openly process well-intentioned immigrants
to enter this nation by legal means thus granting us the security of
knowing
who is within our borders.
(For more FACTS AND FIGURES, such as Frequently Asked Questions,
Immigration Basics and Myths about immigrants, visit
http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/facts_figures.html
Right now Congress is working feverishly to resolve the issue of
immigration and presently there are no less then five bills in Congress
that are in one way or another attempting to reform the process of
immigration.
ACTIONS
Currently Senator Specter, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee,
is putting together The
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of
2006. Please contact your
Senator and ask them to make sure that this
immigration bill includes the following provisions:
1) A path to legalization,
2) Family reunification,
3) Worker protections,
4) An effective, humane, border policy.
You may find their contact information at
http://www.congress.org
or call the Capital switchboard toll free at 888-818-6641 or
888-355-3588.
Toll calls at 202-224-3121.
OR
Visit the following Legislative action site from Justice for Immigrants
for more information and sample letters for this comprehensive
Immigration Reform Bill.
http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/action.html