Sample Immigration Reform Letter

This is the sample letter proposed by the United States Catholic Bishops:

I write to urge you to support the enactment of comprehensive immigration reform in 2007.

It is vital that Congress address the issue of immigration as soon as possible. Our current immigration system is seriously flawed and must be repaired. Migrants continue to be subject to exploitation, abuse, and death in the desert. States and local communities are beginning to fill the void left by federal inaction.

It is important, however, that any legislation that is passed contains the elements necessary to solve our immigration crisis. In this regard, any just and humane legislation should include the following components endorsed by the U.S. Catholic bishops:
• An earned legalization program for the undocumented population is workable and that includes a path to citizenship which is fair and achievable;
• A future worker program that permits migrant workers to enter safely and legally and that includes worker protections and the option for participants to pursue a path of citizenship;
• Family-based immigration reform that reduces backlogs and waiting times for family reunification
• The restoration of due process protections for immigrants taken away by the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA); and
• Policies which address the root causes of migration, including economic development in sending countries.

Legislation which encompasses these elements will help address the problem of illegal immigration to our nation by replacing illegality with legality. It also would enhance national security by bringing the large undocumented population “out of the shadows” to identify themselves to the government.

I firmly believe that the rule of law is necessary for a just civil society. However, it is clear that our government’s inability to enact reform has contributed greatly to the current unsafe and dangerous situation, and to the needless mistreatment of undocumented families that can only be described as un-American

I ask that you support a comprehensive immigration reform bill, consistent with these elements, and work toward its enactment in the near future.

Thank you for your consideration of my views.