Panel: Immigration change will take activating mainstream Americans

Published: 2007-08-06

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Poll after poll says the American public supports a comprehensive approach to fixing immigration problems, but leaders of efforts to pass such a federal law acknowledge that an opposite message is driving the debate. With a comprehensive immigration bill likely off the table until after next year's presidential election, advocates for immigrants said at an Aug. 3 teleconference that their strategy now has to become getting more of that majority of the public involved in fighting for what they say they believe and defusing the power that immigration "restrictionists" have gained. One part of that is to get more religious leaders to take a stand, said Kevin Appleby, director of migration and refugee policy for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. "We need to counter the voices of talk radio," said Appleby. "Quite honestly, the churches, including the Roman Catholic Church, need to do a better job of educating people about the realities of immigration ... to put a human face on the discussion."

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