Brethren Witness/Washington Office calls for action on immigration, agricultural employment.

In an Action Alert issued May 19 by the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, Brethren are encouraged to contact their senators regarding the continuing debate over an immigration bill, and a related agricultural job opportunities bill that is linked to the immigration bill in the Senate. The Brethren Witness/Washington Office is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren General Board.

The Senate has set a Memorial Day (May 29) deadline to pass immigration legislation, the alert said. "There is still time for senators to hear from you about passing a just and fair comprehensive immigration bill," according to the alert. "Call or write your senators and tell them you want a comprehensive immigration bill that is fair to all people and that includes a guest worker program, a path to earned legalization, and is sensitive to family reunification."

The alert included a call for support of an agriculture employment provision being debated as part of the immigration reform. The Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits and Security Act of 2006, known as "AgJobs," "is the carefully negotiated compromise between farm workers and agricultural employers," the alert reported. "It provides a path to earned legalization for thousands of farm workers and reforms the current H2A guest worker program." AgJobs is included in the major immigration bill currently in the Senate (Hagel-Martinez Bill S 2611). "Unfortunately, Senator Chambliss (R-Ga.) threatens to erode all the positive steps in AgJobs with negative amendments...including removing the earned legalization component and removing wage protections for H2A guest workers. When you call or write your senators, make sure to tell them that you support the AgJobs provisions and that you oppose Sen. Chambliss' amendments."

"This is the perfect opportunity to put our faith into action, to invoke the mandate of 'welcoming the stranger,'" the alert said, citing an Annual Conference statement of 1982 on "Undocumented Persons and Refugees." In it, the church stated that the US should "bring about a general amnesty for those people who once entered the United States as 'undocumented aliens' but have settled peacefully among their neighbors. These persons should be given legal status as quickly and simply as possible to assure that they will not be further exploited." (For the full Annual Conference resolution go to http://www.brethren.org/ac/ac_statements/82Refugees.htm.)

To find contact information for your senators, and for more information about the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, go to www.brethren.org/genbd/WitnessWashOffice.html. Or contact the office at 800-785-3246 or washington_office_gb@brethren.org.

Source: 5/22/2006 Newsline
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