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White House Immigration Proposal Questioned By Religious Group Rev. Rudolph T. Juárez, President of the Gamaliel Clergy Caucus, a one million member religious coalition, offered this reaction today to President Bush’s announcement on Immigration Policy: The Gamaliel Foundation and its 1,200 faith congregations are saddened by the President's proposed immigration policy. Since the tragic event of September 11, 2001, we have been delayed and sidetracked in passing the kind of immigration policies that would be more reflective of a nation built on democratic ideals. The Bush policy seems to be designed to offer the business community full access to the immigrant workers while providing very little in the way of protections or rights for the workers themselves. The President's proposal is limited to creating a potentially huge new guestworker program for immigrant workers. This program would provide no access to permanent visas or a path to citizenship for those working, paying taxes, and raising their families in the United States. Labor rights for temporary workers have historically been weak. The Bush proposal would render workers vulnerable with guest worker status, which will force wages and working conditions down for U.S.-born workers. As religious leaders we believe in God who “welcomes the stranger “and who exhorts us to do the same. And because we believe in the innate dignity of human beings and their right to food, shelter, freedom and the opportunity to provide for their own good and the good of society; we are convinced that our immigration laws must be characterized by the principles of justice, fairness and mercy. We support any immigration legislation
that Gamaliel has 55 local affiliates in 17 states which include Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, California as well as South Africa. The Gamaliel Foundation |
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