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The Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform
April 13, 2007 | Leave a Comment
The 110th Congress will soon consider comprehensive immigration reform legislation. The U.S. Catholic bishops have called for a comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. immigration system which would include the following elements: 1). An earned legalization program for undocumented immigrants, regardless of nationality, which includes a path to citizenship; 2) A future worker program (i.e. “temporary” worker program) which includes protections for both U.S. and foreign-born workers with an option for a path to citizenship; 3). family-based immigration reform which reduces family backlogs and waiting times for family reunification; 4). the restoration of due process protections for immigrants; and 5). policies which address the root causes of migration. Any just and humane immigration bill should contain these basic elements.
Though no one knows for sure how many illegal immigrants pay taxes, tax specialists say most of them do. In a New York Times article, the writer tells how the roughly 7 million illegal immigrants who faithfully work for minimum wage or below have subsidized this country’s Social Security and Medicare programs to the tune of $7 billion a year. The article says that the money taken out of immigrants’ paychecks through payroll taxes and funneled into the system adds up to equal the difference between what the system currently receives in payroll taxes and what it distributes in pension benefits.
IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES IN ACTION! – What is NALACC?
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The National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC) is a network of more than 75 community-based organizations led by Latin American and Caribbean immigrants.NALACC member organizations are working to improve quality of life in their communities, both in the United States and in countries of origin. NALACC seeks to build transnational leadership capacity and increase immigrant civic participation, so that immigrants can advocate effectively for public policies that address the root causes of migration, as well as addressing the challenges faced by immigrants in the United States.To date, this latter work has focused on efforts to reform US immigration policies to make them more humane and effective. |
