Diverse group pushes Bush to support comprehensive immigration law

Published: 2006-03-23

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A panel of 15 religious, business, political and agricultural leaders urged President George W. Bush to push for comprehensive immigration legislation in a March 23 White House meeting. Denver Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, who was one of three religious leaders at the session, told Catholic News Service afterward that the president voiced support for policies that reflect the goals of the Catholic bishops' Justice for Immigrants campaign and their concerns about pending legislation. "If Congress handled things the way that meeting was handled," with its spirit of cooperation and respect for a wide range of immigration-related concerns, "we'd be in good shape," Archbishop Chaput said. The Senate was scheduled to resume consideration of proposals for immigration changes the last week of March. Bush has intermittently pushed for comprehensive immigration reform since his first year in office, but the White House has until recently kept some distance from the ongoing debate in Congress. A bill that passed in the House in December deals only with enforcement, including some provisions that the Catholic Church and others strongly oppose, such as criminalizing the act of aiding illegal immigrants.

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