Today, as the president signs the Secure Fence Act, Rev. Luis Cortes Jr., president of Esperanza USA, released the following statement:

"Border security has always been one of Esperanza USA's policy objectives. As the President signs the Secure Fence Act into law, it is critical that we remind Congress that our long term national security interest will never be met until we know who our 12 million undocumented residents are and why they are here. Draconian 'round them up and send them home' policies simply will not work. Only comprehensive, workable, effective immigration reform will accomplish this objective. Only then will our borders be truly secure."

Esperanza USA supports a variety of proposals that meet their stated set of principles for comprehensive immigration reform: border security that does not criminalize clergy or deputize state and local law enforcement; guest worker provisions that meet the increasing workforce requirements without requiring willing workers to risk their lives and their life's savings; and legal status for undocumented workers who can meet various criteria to prove they are contributing, law abiding members of our communities.

To read more of Esperanza USA's work on immigration, go to http://www.esperanza.us.

Rev. Luis Cortes is president of Esperanza USA, the largest Hispanic faith-based community development corporation in the country. With a national network of 10,000 faith and community- based agencies, Esperanza USA is one of the leading voices for Hispanics in the United States.

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