Soon, I have the honor of joining a delegation of justice advocates for immigration reform in DC. The Infrastructure Bill that was just passed by Congress includes substantial funds to provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented people like Dreamers and TSP (temporary protected status) holders.
Why are we advocating for the pathway to citizenship provisions?
As a Christian, I care about immigration reform because my faith calls me to help people on the margins as described in the Old Testament: the widows, orphans, strangers, and the poor. Abraham and Sarah hosted angels unaware who they thought were foreign travelers. They extended extravagant hospitality according to Torah (Gen. 18).
As an attorney, my sense of fairness and understanding of the constitution calls me to argue for equal treatment of fellow human beings. Approximately 10.4 million people in the US lack documentation, and at present, we can help about 8 million to secure a pathway to citizenship.
Those same angels left Abraham and Sarah only to be threatened with violence and humiliation by the inhospitable citizens of Sodom. We are acting like those same citizens of Sodom towards the strangers who seek welcome and hospitality in the US (Gen. 19).
Multiple excellent reasons for a pathway to citizenship
What about the plight of undocumented people moves me those most?
For starters, many undocumented folks came here as children. None of us has control over where we are raised when we are kids. That’s not how it works. Adults make those decisions for us, and often when our parents move us to another country, our safety and livelihood are at stake.
For those people brought here as children, the US becomes their home and becomes part of them just as it does for us. Imagine being taken back to your “home” country that is in fact a foreign country — one you don’t recognize, one you don’t love like “home.” In fact, when you are in the US, you are home. You are home. Our undocumented people are still home here.
According to The Hill, “A broad array of local officials from throughout the country called on Democratic leadership and President Biden to include immigration provisions in the upcoming federal budget.
The coalition of mayors, council members, local legislators, school board members and commissioners called for a path to citizenship for essential workers, ‘Dreamers’ who entered the U.S. illegally as children, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries and their families” in a recent letter.
Here are several reasons that we should create a pathway to citizenship:
- Especially during the pandemic, 5 million undocumented workers in the US hold essential jobs in food production, sanitation, and as first responders. (These workers have long held such positions, well before the pandemic.)
- These same workers were not included in either stimulus bill despite risking their lives during the pandemic, despite the fact the ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) holders pay into the system that now denies them.
- Providing pathways to citizenship will greatly improve our GDP, and families’ lives will improve with new opportunities for education and more job prospects. For many, it will mean the difference between being able to drive to work versus relying on buses.
- Better jobs, working conditions, and wages for all of us will make us more competitive globally.
- The presumption is that immigrants are only a drain on the community. America is made of immigrants who contribute markedly to society.
- We are creating a generation of American children who suffer from abandonment issues, separation anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, etc., by tearing families apart. What resources will we allocate to ease their suffering?
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
If we all stood in the shoes of someone who grew up here and thought about being removed from everything we know, it would give us pause. However, American citizens don’t want to reflect on this reality because it is “too upsetting” or because it won’t really happen to us. But what about the people for whom this sudden, life-altering reality happens one seemingly normal day? What if ICE took you into custody as you picked up your kids from school? What if you were detained in front of your children?
It has happened millions of times already. Why do we let this keep happening? The Latinx community calls this living in the shadows, las sombras. This expression speaks to the need to constantly watch over your shoulders because La Migra (ICE) could show up to haul people off to a detention center, subjecting them to humiliation and an unknown fate. The undocumented population lives in the shadows of a full and free existence. In. America.
Why is the father of 3 little girls deported? These girls are American citizens, and we allow this to happen to them. They have no mother, and now their father is gone. Why? Why do we keep doing this?
These are the questions I will be asking in Washington, DC. Our delegation of hundreds of dedicated justice advocates will all be demanding pathways to citizenship in what will be a much improved America.
Call your congressional representatives today (click here to get their contact info).
Keep informed about our progress
I’ll be reporting on our progress while in DC, so stay tuned to our Political Theology Matters Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram (@docledford), and LinkedIn (Marcia Ledford).
Blessings on your journey caring for the strangers (angels unawares) amongst us.
Schedule a consultation
Interested in helping your congregation or organization can advocate for more compassionate, just solutions to our social crises? Schedule a free 15-minute consultation with The Rev. Dr. Marcia Ledford, Esq., to learn more!
