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CONTACT: Sojourners Sheldon Good at sgood@sojo.net / 202.745.4625, or Burns Strider at bstrider@sojo.net / 202.215.2490 |
Rev. Wallis Says Churches 'Will Not Comply' With New Arizona Law
WASHINGTON - April 23 - In response to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signing Senate Bill 1070, Rev. Jim Wallis - a progressive evangelical leader, author of Rediscovering Values and president of Sojourners (the largest network of progressive Christians in the United States) - called the new law in Arizona a "social sin." Rev. Wallis also said in a statement that the "radical new measure, which crosses many moral and legal lines, is a clear demonstration of the fundamental mistake of separating enforcement from comprehensive immigration reform."
On Tuesday, Rev. Wallis - along with other national and local faith and civil rights leaders - delivered more than 10,000 petitions in Phoenix to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, calling on her to veto SB 1070.
Full text of Rev. Wallis' statement below:
The law signed today by Arizona Gov. Brewer is a social and racial sin, and should be denounced as such by people of faith and conscience across the nation. It is not just about Arizona, but about all of us, and about what kind of country we want to be. It is not only mean-spirited - it will be ineffective and will only serve to further divide communities in Arizona, making everyone more fearful and less safe. This radical new measure, which crosses many moral and legal lines, is a clear demonstration of the fundamental mistake of separating enforcement from comprehensive immigration reform. Enforcement without reform of the system is merely cruel. Enforcement without compassion is immoral. Enforcement that breaks up families is unacceptable. This law will make it illegal to love your neighbor in Arizona, and will force us to disobey Jesus and his gospel. We will not comply.
6 Comments so far
Show AllThe law is certainly anti-christian. WWJThink
This law is just another example of the growing antipathy and racism spreading across the United States. What happened to "the country of immigrants" that first peopled the United States?
What happened to the proclamation on our Statue of Liberty:
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
FrankS
You may well be right, BUT, should we just remove all border crossing and open the country up to anyone and everyone? Should there be LEGAL entry, or is ALL entry legal and need not be monitored?
Will the police use "racial profiling" in their stops? Of course they will, and I agree, this is wrong. On the other hand, should a state such as Arizona, warm, dry climate, sparcly populated except for some urban centers, be made to pay the social and economic price for a lack of a consistant national immigration policy? How do undocumented immigrants working out of day labor sites influence the minimum wage laws, the OSH laws, the public sanitation laws (most live in cramped conditions below standards), the school/education requirements? AND I haven't mentioned crime, since undocumented workers are more prone to be violated without reporting to authorities. (YES, more crime is committed against "illegal aliens" than is commited BY them, at least i've been told), but it is still crime.
The point is, this issue is NOT cut and dry. When the US Congress passes laws that it has no intention of enforcing (immigration entry/quota/health) etc and then denies the individual states the right to enforce those same laws, something is amiss. Try to imagine a 'terrorist' organization inflicting soon to be emmigrants with a deadly virus and then sending them to the US. Would you prefer that these people go through a check point where symptoms may be observered or that they just come across illegally, mingle with local residents and spread the disease?
As for the words on the Statue of Liberty, not law, just someone's idea of how it should be. Sounds nice, but nothing that anyone can be mandated to obey. Yes, there is growing xenophobia here in the states, but just because people are prejudice, does NOT mean that there are NOT some people trying to come here to harm us. I'm not sure if there is a meeting point on this issue. We need immigrants. One of the basic principles of our Constitution was that we need NOT carry papers to travel through or from one state to another. But there are some real concerns about the security of our borders and the need for that security. just an opinion.
Just suppose we grandfathered in every one that has come here without documentation. They would certainly be required to pay taxes on all earned income. Our boarders could be adequately secured by the increased revenue and much, much more. ...just a thought...
Regards,
Claudia
It may work, but I'd be skeptical of it. First, by "grand-fathering" those already here, we're telling everyone that breaking the law has it's rewards. I'd be in favor of perhaps a 'fast-track' approach, but not carte-blanch forgivness.
HOW would the extra money help secure the boarders? It seems plainly obvious to me that the majority on this site are against ANY sort of restrictions or monitoring of aliens. Besides, you know Congress, once they find they have an extra five dollars they go and spend twenty dollars on credit...
Really, it's not the money. As a quasi-libertarian I'd support open boarders, with inspections only for 'cargo' or personal goods. But as a realist, and an army vet, I also recognize the importance of keeping our boarders secure and limiting some who would enter into our country. I honestly feel empathy for those living in the four states boardering the United States of Mexico. Because of the difference in the "perceived" standards of living, these four states are stradled with a great deal of state funded expenses that the rest of the stated don't see due to undocumented residents. The problem there is NOT just the illegal immigration problem, but also the "gray hound immigrants" AKA people sent there by other states willing to supply a bus ticket to get homeless off the streets in the north. But that's another issue for another board.
What REALLY needs to happen is an open discussion setting up some basic, or rather asking some basic points of agreement and points of contention. To wit, do we want to have secure boarders? Do we want to have a system to register foreign visitors to our country (regardless of state of origin)? WHAT should be the penalty for not entering this country via legal methods? WHO enforces control of the boarders? Do we give residents of certain countries priority and/or less restricted access to our boarders? etc... Bottom line to me is that the federal government is not doing it's job to secure the boarders, and thus causing certain states to take matters into their own hands because of the economics... but.... I could be wrong.
peace
If you are a Christian the law is cut and dry. But, you need not be one to understand moral and legal undermining of SB 1070. We can imagine a world where hate, discrimination, and cruelty do not exist. For Christians this law came at a high price. "Love thy neighbor". It matters not if you are Christian, of some faith, or atheist. We the people need to band together and refuse the intent of discrimination. Let America be the place to set the example. Let America truly be a place for the "Huddled masses". Let America be the best it can be. Be grateful to live in America.