To the editor:
As someone who has seen the community wreckage brought upon by our immigration system, it is hard to love the proposed bill for immigration reform. The Gang of 8, a group of U.S. senators that includes New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, released the proposed legislation on Tuesday, and it was supported by President Barack Obama on Wednesday.
The bill would lay a path of 13 years for the 11 million undocumented immigrants to gain citizenship. People brought to the States as children and farm workers may have a shorter path. All possible paths will require fines and undetermined legal checks.
Yet, our passion is not with laws but with people. Our communities of faith, no matter what the final legislation looks like, will stand shoulder to shoulder with immigrants. We should not see this legislation as the conclusion of our many years of work, but a new start to engage our brothers and sisters in our nation’s next step to justice.
Luis Torres
President, Rural & Migrant Ministry
Social Justice Coordinator, First Unitarian Church
