The House of Representatives is voting this week on two pieces of legislation that will increase restrictions on legal immigration to the United States and take away trafficking protections for children. Act now – Tell your Representative to vote against the Securing America’s Future Act (H.R. 4760) and Speaker Ryan's Border Security and Immigration Reform Act.
These bills would radically change our immigration system in dangerous ways.
- They will make it harder for families and vulnerable people to seek protection in the U.S. by setting an unreasonably high mark to apply for asylum.
- Provisions in both bills would end legal pathways for U.S. citizens to reunite with family members.
- Both bills include inadequate provisions to protect young people who grew up in the U.S. without legal status, known as Dreamers - H.R. 4760 only provides temporary legal status for Dreamers and the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act would tie a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers to border wall construction.
- Finally, the Ryan bill inadequately addresses the Department of Homeland Security’s policy of prosecuting and detaining 100% of parents at the border, which, right now is causing families to be separated.
As people of faith, we follow a God who calls us to welcome the stranger (Matt. 25:35) and to love immigrants as ourselves (Lev. 19:33-34). Our faith’s teachings on immigration promote protection of the most vulnerable, family reunification and dignified treatment of immigrants and refugees, all of which should be critical pieces of our immigration system. If passed, these bills will deeply harm some of the most vulnerable people in our midst.
We are called to welcome the stranger and recognize the human dignity of each person. Click here to act now!