Faith Organizations: Congress Keeps Moving Goalposts on Border Security

May 17, 2010

13 May 2010

Secretary Janet Napolitano
Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Washington, DC 20528

Dear Secretary Napolitano:

We, the undersigned faith-based organizations, write to express our appreciation for your statement before the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 27, 2010 regarding the urgent need for comprehensive immigration reform to be the context in which border enforcement takes place. As negotiations on the substantive content of legislation evolve, we also write to respectfully urge you to continue to communicate to Congress the immense amount that has already been done to strengthen border security.

As you expressed in your remarks, the record shows that major steps have already been taken to increase border security:

"Every marker, every milepost that has been laid down by the Congress in terms of number of agents, deployment of technology, construction of fencing and the like has either already been completed or is within a hair's breadth of being completed. And one of the questions I think we need to talk about is whether securing the border is ever going to be reached… in the sense of the Congress, or whether that goalpost is just going to keep moving."

We understand that, as you stated, an "unprecedented level of resources" has been designated for border enforcement since the creation of the Southwest Border Security Initiative in March 2009. In light of that fact, we have serious concerns about the increases in border enforcement resources included in Senator Schumer's most recent proposal. We are particularly concerned about the impact such measures would have on communities and families. Since the method of enforcement of immigration laws impacts the human dignity and human rights of the person, it is incumbent upon the faith community to promote the humane treatment of newcomers and to call attention to practices and proposed laws which may lead to their abuse and suffering.

Without reform of laws affecting the ability of immigrants to cross U.S. borders legally, our borders cannot and will not be secure. We support the creation of a reasonable pathway to legal status and eventual citizenship for undocumented immigrants currently in the United States, in conjunction with the formation of, and adequate resources to support, legal immigration processes that are responsive to our economy and to the integrity of the family unit. These measures would allow border enforcement personnel to concentrate on those who truly threaten our communities and our nation: drugs and arms smugglers, human traffickers, and terrorists.

Calls for increased personnel, infrastructure and technology on the border are not based on current needs. Demands for further progress on border security should not stand in the way of the implementation of comprehensive immigration reform. With careful consideration and reasoned discourse, the United States can build an immigration system which protects public safety and national security without sacrificing the ideals upon which this country was founded - fairness, opportunity, and compassion.

We acknowledge that members of Congress may face challenges in staying up-to-date on the latest developments in border enforcement. We appreciate your offer to provide briefings for members and their staff to correct any differences between perception and reality. We thank you for your public and continued commitment to comprehensive immigration reform, and we look forward to advancing bipartisan discussions on humane and comprehensive immigration reform legislation.

Sincerely,

Friends Committee on National Legislation
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church & Society
Franciscan Action Network
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
Pax Christi USA
Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Washington Office
Presbyterian Church USA, Office of Immigration Issues
Interfaith Worker Justice
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas

Cc:
President Barack Obama
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer
House Majority Whip James Clyburn
Members of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary