Immigration issues to be considered by assembly
The Layman, June 18, 2012
The 220th General Assembly Committee 12, Immigration Issues, will consider matters regarding the church’s response to U.S. immigration policies and related issues. It will have nine items of business before it when the committee convenes July 1 in Pittsburgh, Pa.
First on the list is Item 12-01, which asks the assembly to rescind an action of a previous GA. On July 8, 2010 the 219th General Assembly voted 420-205 to “refrain from holding national meetings in states where travel by immigrant Presbyterians or Presbyterians of color might subject them to harassment due to legislation.”
Arizona’s new immigration law — SB1070/HB2162 — was to take effect later that month, so it became the first state that the PCUSA targeted for boycotting.
The overture’s rationale states that “we believe that this resolution has a harmful effect on congregations in the state and for the target population in general. … Calling for what seems like a boycott on a particular state could have a powerful effect on the local congregations and the presbyteries of which they are a part. Insofar as the individual congregations are part of the whole body of Christ, avoiding a particular region means the church is turning away from part of itself.”
Items 12-02 and 12-03 ask the assembly to take action concerning the plight of immigrant people in the United States. While the overtures differ slightly in wording, they both ask Presbyterians to affirm the Scriptural call to provide hospitality to immigrants; encourage deeper relationships between the PCUSA and immigrants; and educate people to advocate for legislative reform.
Item 12-04 advocates for comprehensive immigration reform, including:
- Avoiding separation of families, revising visa preferences and caps, and eliminating visa backlogs;
- Providing a path for undocumented migrants living in the US to gain citizenship without imposing punitive costs or wait times;
- Facilitating integration of immigrants by providing legal assistance and access to all social services;
- Developing measures to reduce human smuggling and deaths, and that aim to eliminate abuses stemming from raids on homes and workplaces;
Item 12-05 targets a certain group of immigrants – Indonesian Christians, who face deportation from the country after they failed to apply for asylum within the required one year deadline of entering the U.S. The overture specifically asks Presbyterians to educate and advocate for the passage of the “Indonesian Family Refugee Protection Act,” introduced in the House of Representatives.
Item 12-06 mirrors 12-04, but specifically calls attention to the border region between Mexico and the U.S. and urges Congress to pass legislation comparable to the DREAM Act, or the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act. The bill would provide conditional permanent residency to illegal aliens of good moral character.
Item 12-07 calls Presbyterians to a “time of being church together with immigrant brothers and sisters,” by having quarterly worship services centered on immigrants and with immigrants; and liturgy that expands the vision of who is the church.
Item 12-08 asks the assembly to “approve a statement urging congregations to support and serve refugees living in our own neighborhoods, neighboring towns and cities.”
The Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns sent item 12-09 to the GA, asking it to:
- Support “A Call to Stand with Immigrant Presbyterians in Their Hour of Need,” a document approved by the 2010 General Assembly.
- Direct PCUSA employees to develop worship and study resources to assist Presbyterians in understanding “Being Church Together.”
- Call for the passage of the DREAM Act.