Immigration proposals weighed by church and in Congress

Published: 2007-04-24

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A White House proposal for immigration reform is "a step in the wrong direction," though a House bill comes closer to offering what's needed, said the chairman of the U.S. bishops' migration committee in a letter to Congress. Meanwhile, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., the chairwoman of the House immigration subcommittee, told a conference on immigration law and policy she hopes that before the August recess a bill will come out of Congress that takes a comprehensive approach to problems, including giving college students a chance to legalize their status as well as dealing with enforcement, temporary workers and legalization. In a letter to Congress released April 23, Bishop Gerald R. Barnes of San Bernardino, Calif., reiterated the bishops' support for legislation that includes what he called a viable path to permanent residency for people in the country illegally, a visiting worker program, a plan to address backlogs in family reunification immigration, restoration of due process rights and policies that address the root causes of migration. Bishop Barnes said H.R. 1645, the Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy Act, or STRIVE Act, so far comes closest to a just and humane reform bill.

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