Growing Common Ground Between Liberals and Conservatives on Immigration
By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country
Is the idea of common ground between liberals and religious conservatives a pipe dream? Not when it comes to one of the major goals of President Obama's first term: immigration reform.
My most recent God & Country column in U.S. News Weekly tracks an effort by some powerful evangelical conservatives to build support for comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for many undocumented workers. Here's the top:
Despite President Obama's talk of dialing down the culture wars, including a pledge to provide a "common ground" approach to abortion, his administration has little to show for the effort. Abortion foes have spent months alleging that Democratic healthcare reform proposals include taxpayer-funded abortion coverage that undermines the president's vow to keep reform abortion neutral. "All the bills that have come through committee so far increase abortion coverage," says Galen Carey, chief lobbyist for the National Association of Evangelicals.
And yet, many prominent social conservatives say the administration can still find common ground with evangelicals and other conservative religious constituencies. Rather than revolving around abortion, however, the opportunity is on another thorny issue: immigration. Many of the same faith-based groups attacking Obama and the Democrats over healthcare reform's abortion provisions, including the National Association of Evangelicals, the Southern Baptist Convention, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, are poised to become major players in the president's coming push for comprehensive immigration reform, which would include a path to citizenship for many illegal immigrants. "There is a strong biblical teaching about showing hospitality to the stranger and the alien," says Carey.
One reason the president and his party have better odds at winning over religious conservatives on immigration than on abortion is that some influential evangelicals have changed their thinking on a path to citizenship for illegals. That includes some evangelical groups and figures who sat out President Bush's unsuccessful 2007 push for comprehensive reform or opposed the effort outright. "There has been a significant shift among evangelical leaders who view the immigration reform debate as an important measure of their [Christian] witness," says Michael Gerson, who was Bush's chief speechwriter and is a fellow at the Institute for Global Engagement (and a former U.S. News staffer). Indeed, the National Association of Evangelicals, the nation's largest evangelical group, representing 30 million Americans, avoided 2007's immigration debate because its members were divided on the issue. But recently, the NAE passed a unanimous resolution backing comprehensive immigration reform.
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Tags: immigration | religion
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Reader Comments
We need reform
The support of faith based groups around immigration reform is both humanitarian and important. We need to restore fairness to our broken immigration system. That includes creating workable solutions that unite us together - and reform that respects due process and fairness allows us to celebrate the values that we hold dear - fairness, opportunity and due process. When we deny due process to some people, ultimately it will affect all of us. To hear more stories about why we need reform and to take action go to www.restorefairness.org.
Sue them blind!
Pat wrote: "the value of my home has dropped drastically because of the clan of illegals in the rental property next door. The property owners renting to illegals should be in jail because our neighbourhoods are being destroyed!"
What needs to happen is for you and millions of other Americans who have suffered a decline in property values to sue the federal government for their refusal to enforce our immigration laws. A class action lawsuit demanding that the government make up the difference between what your property was valued before mass Third World immigration and what it is valued at now.
If enough people start thinking like this, we could force our "representatives" to start taking care of us, the American citizens who pay for their obscene budgets, salaries and perks.
Something to think about?
This included Sen. DeMint amendment to construct the original--DOUBLE LAYER--fence, authored originally by Rep.Duncan Hunter, which like most approved laws are hastily thrashed in cloaked conferences pandering to corporate cartels and pro-illegal immigrant lobbyists. Thanks to the open border groups our border defenses comprises of a single layer barrier, with large areas of nothing to halt illegal criminals, drug peddlers, uninhibited terrorists and scores of illegal aliens with families from entering America. Sanctuary policies encourage illegal immigration by sending a signal across the world that anyone who manages to enter the United States will be able to stay here as long as they wish - regardless of their status - because our government lacks the will to enforce its own laws. These illegal policies have contributed to our current illegal immigration debacle and are an embarrassment to the country.
Call and blast your Senators and Representative at 202-224-3121 in Washington. Overwhelming the switchboard with your calls, as it is having an outstanding effect of--MILLIONS of angry voters. INFORM THEM DO YOUR DUTY OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES ON RE-ELECTION DAY? Tell them you want a PERMANENT E-Verify for--EVERY WORKER, a secure double layer fence and--REAL--enforcement against sanctuary state policies. Read undisclosed facts at NUMBERSUSA. UNEARTH the corruption at JUDICIAL WATCH. Your voice is needed to halt OVERPOPULATION and American Worker survival. Demand NO-MORE-AMNESTIES. Go home and come through the front door, like millions of legal immigrants?
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