Immigration: Congress stops its work, but churches plow ahead

Published: 2007-09-14

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Congressional efforts to pass an immigration reform bill may have been shoved onto the "maybe after the 2008 election" list, but around the country a wide range of church-connected efforts continue to try to influence what the general public thinks about immigrants and how they are treated. In Tennessee a Colombian immigrant who has long served as an interpreter for Spanish speakers in Nashville's courts has self-published a guidebook for immigrants about adjusting to their new home. In another part of the state, churches have been trying to support families affected by immigration raids of trailer parks in the spring. Elsewhere, church agencies help people legalize their status; religious brothers and sisters pray weekly outside immigrant detention centers; parish activists lobby their members of Congress; and groups across the country are scheduling education programs, rallies and prayer events for immigrants and immigration issues.

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