The Wrong Side of History

Arizona’s anti-immigration law SB-1070 was the first of many proposed laws designed to target illegal immigrants. Bills have been proposed in several states encourage a strict—some would say harsh—enforcement of our federal immigration laws. The problem with these proposals, aside from the prejudice they intentionally or unintentionally promote, is that our federal immigration laws are unjust.

The great thing about or system of government is that when laws are unjust, we can change them. People who defend our current immigration policies will be remembered the way supporters of slavery and the Jim Crow segregation laws are remembered today: They are on the wrong side of history.

The Episcopal Church, the Catholic Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the Unitarian Universalist Church, and the Presbyterian Church are among the groups that have issued statements calling for immigration reforms that uphold human dignity. Whatever your faith, I hope you will join the fight against prejudice and oppression.

No comments:

Post a Comment