Changing the Way We Talk About Immigration

Last spring, Sojourners helped launch Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Following Congress' failure to pass meaningful reform, we have continued to work to provide churches and clergy with effective educational materials, encouraged and mobilized congregations to oppose punitive laws, and supported a rapid response media team of religious leaders around the country to respond to reports of intolerance.

Yesterday, CCIR held a news conference to urge Americans to recall, in the week before Thanksgiving, both the blessings in their lives and the needs of "the least of these" in our nation, many of whom are undocumented immigrants working for a better life. I joined the Most Reverend John Wester, bishop of Salt Lake City, chairman, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Migration; Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and James Winkler, general secretary of the United Methodist Church, General Board of Church & Society.

We released a comprehensive report - A House Divided: Why Americans Of Faith Are Concerned About Undocumented Immigrants which carefully documents three major consequences of Congress not resolving the issue.

Here are my remarks at the news conference:

The immigration system is broken. We all know that, we all agree on that. We missed a chance to fix it in this Congress and the debate since that time has gone sour. Today we are not here to advocate a bill but to share concerns about our conversation, how we are talking about people.

We've often cited Leviticus 19:34 - "The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you; you shall love the stranger as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God." Or as Jesus said so clearly, "I was a stranger and you welcomed me."

This immigration policy question is for us as people of faith the "welcoming the stranger" question. How do you treat those who are strangers in your midst? There is no doubt this debate has turned toward fear and anger. There are legitimate issues at stake. The rule of law is important, the system is broken. But the tenor of the debate has gone in an alarming direction. That's why we're here today. The way we talk about people is off course. Fear and anger dominate the conversation, not a civil discussion about the legitimate issues involved. How do we protect the dignity and the lives of the weakest and most marginalized among us?

I'm concerned about the restrictions, the new legislation being passed in many places. Oklahoma is one example, where in fact assistance to people who are undocumented is being questioned. When you're reaching out to hurting people, you don't check their papers. That's not our job. We don't do government's job for the government. And so we don't want to be in a situation where Christian ministry is made illegal. We're close to that now. You will hear from people in the churches across the political spectrum that if you tell us Christian ministry is illegal, we will go ahead and do Christian ministry whether it is legal or not. I'm concerned about these harsh restrictions that are coming from the states.

I'm also concerned about the talk. Talk is important. How we talk about people is very important. So I'm concerned when I read statements like an Arizona talk show host saying, "What we'll do is randomly pick one night every week where we will kill whoever crosses the border ... step over there and you die. You get to decide whether it's your lucky night or not. I think that would be more fun." Well, it wouldn't be fun. And that kid of talk poisons the body politic. We have to stand up against talk like that.

Thirdly, I'm concerned about what we call family values. The raids have been quite appalling. We are literally taking children from their mothers and fathers, we are separating families,. This is not what in our tradition we should do. To protect and support families and those relationships is crucial to us.

So this is a conversation that is quickly going bad. I read today that it's the number two issue in the Iowa primary campaign. It will be a presidential election year issue. So how we talk about undocumented people is a matter of life and dignity. In fact, Hispanics who have been here for four generations are being looked at askance now as if every Hispanic citizen was undocumented. All of a sudden, the country feels very unsafe and unwelcoming to people of Latino descent. This is something going wrong in our body politic.

We're here to say, let's pay attention how we talk about people and let's come back to the table. We're not going to have immigration reform for some time, perhaps, but let's start a new conversation about what will fix the system and how to treat people humanely in the meantime. It's a matter of life and dignity.

Jim Wallis is the Editor-in-Chief of Sojourners and blogs at www.godspolitics.com.

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Comments

[LarryBlasko]

Politicians in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s ploughed a common field for votes of fear and ignorance: Just knock Black folks. “Don’t be out-n---red,” was common advice to grab almost-bottom votes by shoving others lower.

But now America is beyond the tactics of fear, smear, sneer and snarl, right?

Not hardly.

Now the bottom is “illegal immigrants,” code for Hispanics, citizens or not. “Illegal,” now means “evil, criminal,” while bigots and demagogues piously declare support for “legal immigration” as segregationists once supported Blacks who “knew their place.”

The new festering stereotype infects anyone who looks Hispanic or speaks Spanish. “They don’t talk American! They follow their customs!”

As did Irish, Italians, Chinese, Eastern Europeans and others. Yet from “No Irish Need Apply” to New York’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is a journey repeated over and over in America, and we need to remember that immigrants are still the foundation of our common home and future.

The 2008 presidential campaign, now in full howl and grovel, mostly lays platitudes on the serious humanitarian and economic issue of undocumented immigrants. See the megaflap over New York Governor Eliot Spitzer’s suggestion that all drivers on New York roads must prove driving skills and insurance – you know, get a license. The hysteria from the “They Ain’t Like Us!” crowd killed that – a blow to common sense and humanity shamefully blessed by most of the “presidential” field.

Fourteen million souls who are a vital part of our economy deserve better, beginning with recognition and registration. I suggested one way in my recent book, “Opening the Borders, Solving the Mexico/U.S. Immigration Problem For Our Sake and Mexico’s (Level 4 Press 2007).”

There are others, but we must not create a new “Them” in a country that has struggled long for “Us.”
--
Larry Blasko lives in Summit, NJ.

[Tellmethetruth]

Thanks you Mr. Wallis for the work you are doing for the poor in the country, who are treated as if they possess no rights for their labor. Thank you for the humane post you have put up. I hope your voice of compassion is heard along with the others who support you.

I hope other bloggers who have previously posted hateful cruel remarks on other posts, don't put them on this post.

We need a compassionate conversaton about the 26million undocumented workers in this country who are being treated as slave labor. Thank you again for the post that appeals to the best in us.

[nyfilmmaker]

Immigration obviously worries most people these days. The conversations permeate coffee shops, restaurants, the line at the bank and just about everywhere that it is possible to interact with another human being.

In fact I have had more positive, productive conversations at the local diner over breakfast than most politicians have during the course of the year.

It seems like reasonable people want to have a reasonable discussion.

Maybe politicians are not reasonable people . They seem to be always walking on eggshells waiting for the 800 pound gorilla called the immigration debate to walk into the room.

The worst part of it is that THE MOST UNREASONABLE DEBATE happens in the comment sections of most of the forums across the country.

It must be that all the illegals who would defend themselves in the forums, if they had the time, are working laborious jobs so you don't have to.

The more I think about it, since the politicians are a reflection of his or her constituents, then maybe we should look around and point out the unreasonable people...

Angelo Mancuso
Director
American Harvest - (the Real Truth About Immigrant America)

http://www.americanharvestmovie.com

[zigzag1]

Selective Christianity...interesting how the uber christians seem to forget the words of Jesus that don't
fit their prejudices.

[TuffPosh]

1. Aren't you selectively quoting the Bible? Don't other religious leaders point to other sections of the Bible with suggestions that the laws of the land be followed among others? And, don't some biblical scholars dispute your interpretation of "stranger", taking it to mean only a visitor, i.e., someone passing through rather than sneaking in?

2. We've already taken 14% of Mexico's workers, depriving that country of the people it needs to build its society (and press for reforms). The corrupt elite of Mexico like it that way, but aren't their huge downsides to your supposed "compassion"?

3. There are only two ways to prevent border deaths: either pass out citizenships at the border or strictly enforce our laws. We aren't going to do the former, and all those who push for "reform" oppose the latter, including you. In fact, those who support or enable illegal immigration are partly responsible for the impacts, including border deaths.

Even if we believe you're truly "compassionate" and not something else, that doesn't mean that your solution is the best because you clearly haven't thought this through all the way.