Washington D.C., Apr 24, 2007 / 09:34 am
The chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) migration committee has warned that the Bush Administration’s recent immigration reform proposals would be harmful to immigrants.
Bishop Gerald Barnes of San Bernardino, Calif., issued a warning in a letter to Congress this week, in which he also asked lawmakers to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
Bishop Barnes wrote in his letter, that the bipartisan Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy Act of 2007 (STRIVE), “best comports with the principles needed for a just and humane immigration reform bill.”
However, the bishop continued, “unlike the STRIVE Act, which promotes family reunification and has a realistic plan for bringing undocumented immigrants out of the shadows, the Administration’s proposal would make cuts to family-based immigration as well as impose fines and wait times for legalization that are far beyond what most immigrants could bear,” wrote the bishop.