Catholic women urged to make immigration reform a top priority

Published: 2005-09-23

ATLANTA (CNS) -- The U.S. government must reform its immigration system, while continuing to address the root causes of poverty that drive so many to risk their lives and emigrate, conference-goers in Atlanta were told. And in a church and nation built on immigration, women must educate themselves and their dioceses on these pressing issues through the U.S. bishops' Justice for Immigrants campaign, launched in May. That was the message for participants in a Sept. 17 workshop on immigration at the national conference of the National Council of Catholic Women, which drew more than 1,200 women to Atlanta. "We spend a lot of time saying to people, 'I am really sorry. There is nothing I can do to help you,'" said Sue Colussy, director of Catholic Social Services' low-cost legal clinic for immigrants in Atlanta. "That's why we really need immigration reform." Colussy provided an immigration overview covering everything from the A to Z list of types of visas and criticized the "incredible backlog" for processing family reunification requests.

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