Inspired Faith, Effective Action
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“When we talk about immigration, there are always theological questions lurking just under the surface of our usual arguments. Here are some:
Is it moral to exclude people from this country?
Is it moral for a country to defend its borders, and if it is, why is it moral?
Is it ever right for a group to band together and keep out others who “don’t belong”?”
—excerpt from “Family Across Borders,” by Rev. Laura Horton-Ludwig
This Mother’s Day, Rev. Laura Horton-Ludwig of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Stockton, California, preached on the theology of immigration. After sharing a story from her own family’s experience and contemplating the theological questions behind how we approach immigration, Laura closed her sermon by explaining HR 182, the Child Citizen Protection Act, and encouraging members of her congregation to fill out postcards to their representative asking them to co-sponsor the Child Citizen Protection Act.
Read Laura’s sermon, Family Across Borders, and then send your own message to your representative through our online action campaign.
The Child Citizen Protection Act would allow immigration judges to take into account the well-being of a U.S. citizen child when determining if their non-citizen parent should be forcibly deported. The bill would offer hope to families which include include at least one non-citizen parent and a U.S. citizen child—which make up 15% of all families in the United States.
Dear God,
I am writing you this letter in hopes of a miracle. Millions of families including mine are coming to the end of our road, we face the loss of hope.
I fell in love with an American born husband and was blessed with an American born daughter, yet I am weeks away from my final deportation hearing. The thought of my family having to leave the only Country and life they have ever known or to give them up altogether is unbearable. This burden is not mine alone but is being played out in the minds of millions of honest, hardworking people throughout the Country.
This topic has received a lot of press lately, both for and against. One recent story on CNN had the number of American born children with one or more undocumented parents at four million. People like Representative Jose Serrano from New York want to help these children and have proposed for law changes such as the Child Citizen Protection Act HR 182. Those against these innocent American kids such as Mr. Dan Stein from FAIR are calling for their parents complete deportation and want the kids to leave the Country with them. These children are Americans, why should they not be afforded the same rights as other kids? They deserve to have a chance to grow up with both of their parents in the Country they were born in. Many of theses parents due to no fault of their own became trapped into their current circumstances.
Dear GOD, I am not asking for amnesty but instead just a chance. Prior to 1996, Immigration Judges had the lattitude to consider an American born child’s welfare when ordering a final deportation. This was done on a case by case basis and the Judges took into account several factors including, the deportees moral character. The HR Citizen Child Protection Act would give that tool back to the Judges.
It may already be too late for me and my family but please GOD, fing it in your heart to help these distinguished law makers to pass this bill and help these four million children, they didn’t do anything wrong.