In August and September 2009, members of the Oregon New Sanctuary Movement met with the offices of Reps. Wu, Blumenauer and Schrader, along with Sens. Merkley and Wyden to discuss our principles for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.  We delivered our “Love Has No Borders” postcards from our congregational partners to the Congressional Delegation asking for:

• Reunification of families
• A pathway to legalization and citizenship
• Protecting the employment rights of workers
• Moratorium on workplace raids and home detentions
• Demilitarization of the border
• Ending trade agreements that force migration

Click here to download the Love Has No Borders postcard

Meeting with Sen. Wyden’s Office

Left to right: Beth Poteet (Ainsworth United Church of Christ), Mira Conklin (Oregon-Idaho Conference of the United Methodist Church Office of Hispanic Ministries), Ron Whitlatch (Oregon-Idaho Conference of the United Methodist Church Office of Hispanic Ministries), Loretta Smith (Sen. Ron Wyden’s Staff), Deacon Marla McGarry-Lawrence (St. Michael’s and All Angels Episcopal Church), Zaida (Committee of Solidarity and Mutual Support), Alice Perry (American Friends Service Committee), and Bob Brown (Havurah Shalom).

Meeting with Rep. Wu’s OfficeLeft to right: Alice Perry (American Friends Service Committee), Pedro Sosa (American Friends Service Committee), Brian Plinski (Rep. Wu’s Staff), Bob Brown (Havurah Shalom), Zaida (Committee of Solidarity and Mutual Support), Beth Poteet (Ainsworth United Church of Christ)Meeting with Sen. Merkley’s Office

Left to right: Deacon Marla McGarry-Lawrence (St. Michael’s and All Angels Episcopal Church), Bob Brown (Havurah Shalom), Alice Perry (American Friends Service Committee), Sarah Loose (Augustana Lutheran Church), DeEtte Waleed (Bridgeport United Church of Christ), Beth Poteet (Ainsworth United Church of Christ), Cyreena Boston (Staff with Sen. Merkley)

Oregon New Sanctuary Movement
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Principles

1. Pathway to Citizenship
Workers and their families living in the U.S. without authorization must have access to a path to permanent residency and eventual citizenship.  Marginalization drives people to depend on underground means of survival; this is dangerous both for these individuals and the common welfare.  We recognize legalization as the only way to insure safety and guarantee rights for all people.   Inclusive measures do not include unreasonable requirements that only serve to punish. Asking people to pay fines or to leave the US for a period of time are examples of unreasonable requirements.

2. Family Unity and Integration
Make family reunification a top priority.  Families and households should be allowed to legally migrate and be reunified with family members in a timely and efficient manner.  Family values are central to sustainable communities and so family reunification and integration should be the focus of any comprehensive immigration policy reform.  Supporting integration policy is key to moving the growing segment of new Americans into active citizens, workers and community members.  Reforms in our family-based immigration system are needed to significantly reduce waiting times for separated families who currently wait many years to be reunited.

3. Protection for All Human Rights / Workers
In accordance with the United Nations, we assert all workers’ rights to fair wages that support a decent livelihood for workers and their families, the right to organize in trade unions, and safe and healthy working conditions.  The state is obligated to uphold these rights.  We oppose the building of an economy based on exploited labor, including measures that would effectively perpetuate a second-class labor force and continue the trend of paying low wages to workers both in the U.S. and abroad.  Any kind of “guest worker” program must ensure that people are not tied to a specific employer who can use continued employment as a threat. Full worker rights must be recognized, protected and enforced.  Employers must not be used to enforce immigration law.

4. Humane Enforcement Strategy
The militarization of the border has not successfully stopped the flow of migration, but has damaged the environment and driven migrants into remote desert regions causing thousands of deaths.  Border protection policies should be consistent with humanitarian values and with the need to treat all individuals with respect.  ICE and law-enforcement agencies must stop using tactics that terrorize immigrant communities, cease using racial profiling to target certain groups of people, and stop treating people with civil offenses as if they were criminals.  Local law enforcement should not take on the role of immigration enforcers (i.e. 287g agreements).  If immigrants are held in detention facilities, their full human rights must be respected, including access to medical and legal services as well as religious counsel.  Raids and deportations represent an overly simplistic response to the complex reality of immigration and are examples of enforcement only strategies that aim to criminalize unauthorized migrants and should be ended immediately.

5. Address the Root Causes of Migration
While just and comprehensive immigration reform would represent great progress, we must address what is really broken.  International economic and political conditions often constrain people’s opportunities and make migration one of the few viable options to meet their basic human needs.  While migration has historically been a part of the human experience, the complexity and gravity of the current global migration phenomenon requires a broad-based social and political response.  International economic policies, including trade agreements, need to be consistent with human rights, trade justice, and sustainable approaches to the environment and economic development.

Information provided by the American Friends Service Committee, Chicago New Sanctuary Coalition, Witness for Peace, and the Interfaith Immigration Coalition.