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ELCA NEWS SERVICE
July 28, 2010

ELCA Presiding Bishop Calls for Immigration Reform in Letter to Obama
10-210-MRC


CHICAGO (ELCA) -- If Congress does not pass comprehensive immigration reform soon, state legislators and local governments will continue to take immigration policy into their own hands, wrote the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), in a July 27 letter to U.S. President Barack Obama.
"This would create an untenable patchwork of differing local laws and produce confusion for law enforcement officials and lawfully present people, as well as increased suffering for the undocumented," wrote Hanson.
Responding to Obama's June speech on the need for immigration reform, Hanson thanked the president for his speech and wrote that, as presiding bishop of the ELCA, he sees firsthand the "direct consequences of inaction on this issue for immigrant families, for congregations, and for communities across the United States."
Without a significant change in U.S. immigration policy, "we will continue to deal as a nation with the devastating consequences of a broken immigration system," wrote Hanson.
In his letter Hanson told the U.S. president that a bi-partisan bill is possible "based on efforts (of) only a few years ago."
Hanson also told the president that synod bishops of the ELCA have written letters and opinion pieces in support of immigration reform and highlighted "Toward Compassionate, Just and Wise Immigration Reform" -- a social policy resolution passed by the ELCA Church Council in November 2009.
Christians have a clear calling not only to welcome immigrants but to care about their lives, concerns and experiences as newcomers in the United States, Hanson wrote.
"I asked Lutherans to support comprehensive immigration reform that keeps families together, maintains basic human and worker rights, helps our new neighbors come out of the shadows, and seeks a path to permanence for our new neighbors," wrote Hanson.
Lutherans believe that hospitality is a central value, wrote Hanson, adding that Lutherans know immigration is a complex issue.
"We are a hopeful church and we are committed to working for a better future for people who migrate and for our country," he wrote. "We strive with others to model and promote civil discourse on these and other issues."
Through Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) congregations of the ELCA and Lutheran social ministries provide critical services to migrant populations, spread the word of welcome, and advocate for fair and human immigration reform, wrote Hanson.
LIRS is one of the nation's leading agencies in welcoming and advocating for refugees and immigrants. Based in Baltimore, LIRS works on behalf of the ELCA, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
"We have a robust commitment to effective advocacy" addressing issues like poverty, hunger, market and environmental issues that force people around the world to leave their homes, wrote Hanson. "On the basis of this practical experience, as well as our stated principle, we will continue to call for a comprehensive reform of our immigration system."