Washington, DC – This week, the Biden Administration announced their framework for the “Build Back Better” bill that will invest $100 billion to legalize the status of undocumented immigrants in the United States. It is because of the strength and persistence of directly-impacted immigrants, advocates, and allies that citizenship has made it this far in the budget reconciliation process. As faith-based organizations that value the faith virtue of hope, we move forward with hope and optimism that we will win citizenship this year as our persistent advocacy continues.
“The President’s plan to include citizenship as a means to build our nation back is an incredible step forward, but we’re not there yet,” said Elissa Diaz, co-chair of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition and Policy and Advocacy Manager, Church World Service. “We are grateful for the relentless leadership of immigrants themselves in getting us to this point. We will continue to follow their lead in pushing Congress for citizenship by any means necessary until we get to ‘yes.’”
Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, stated, “The Reform Jewish Movement welcomes the Biden Administration’s historic Build Back Better framework, which uplifts marginalized communities and moves the United States toward an equitable economic recovery. By making long overdue investments in immigration reform this plan will help immigrant workers and families live with greater security and opportunity. We call on Congress to swiftly pass the Build Back Better legislation. At the same time, there is more work to be done. As we heed the prophetic call to “speak up, judge righteously, and champion the poor and the needy,” we urge Congress to continue working to pass urgent priorities that were left out of the framework. This includes a clear pathway to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented immigrants.”
“During the pandemic, countless numbers of undocumented immigrants have risked their lives to advance and protect the health, safety, and well-being of all Americans,” said Giovana Oaxaca, Program Director for Migration Policy, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. “A pathway to citizenship for these individuals is long-overdue and is absolutely essential for the country’s continued health response and economic recovery. As people of faith, we will continue to stand alongside our immigrant sisters and brothers to demand that their dignity be honored by the country they’ve supported so faithfully. Consistent with the ELCA Social Message on Immigration, we support flexible ways for undocumented immigrants and their families to adjust their status. ”
“As President and on behalf of Sojourners, we are pleased to see historic investments being laid out in the recently released family support budget framework,” stated Reverend Adam Russell Taylor, President, Sojourners. “Members of Congress have a moral obligation as stewards of governance to help create a society that follows one of the most important commandments—love thy neighbor as thyself. From housing to health care to child care to immigration to caring for our Earth, we believe this framework has the potential to bring good news to the people and communities across rural, urban, and suburban America. It is our hope that Members look into their hearts and continue to push for inclusion of life-changing and lifesaving programs and policies, including a pathway to citizenship. If included in the final framework, Members have the opportunity to seal their legacy in history as true champions of the American people who governed with goodwill and hope.”
Rev. Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea, Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries, said, “The Build Back Better plan introduced this week focuses on meeting human needs in ways the God of scripture – who ‘is a refuge for the oppressed’ (Psalm 9:9) and who intends ‘to set the captives free’ (Luke 4:19) – has called us all to emulate; offering justice, lifting up the vulnerable, strengthening the fainthearted. Americans of all political perspectives, in and beyond our congregations, have long supported paths to citizenship for immigrants that can offer relief to families who have faithfully contributed to our nation even while living in fear of family separation and being held back from full opportunities. We urge Congress to support the prayers of our nation to use every legislative tool possible to finally provide undocumented immigrants with long-awaited paths to citizenship.”
“The Build Back Better Framework announced by President Biden represents a historic investment in the human needs of low-income and vulnerable Americans,” said Rebecca Linder-Blachly, Director, The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations. “The legislation will extend important new support to families and children – including immigrant families – in addition to providing affordable health care to millions of previously uncovered people, essential care for older and disabled Americans, and vital investments in confronting the climate crisis. The Episcopal Church strongly supports this framework and urges Congress to do the same.”
Mary J. Novak, Executive Director, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, said, “Build Back Better is a transformative framework that includes key provisions, like a historic investment in affordable housing, health care for all, and permanent refundability of the Child Tax Credit, which will cut childhood poverty in half. This is an important first step to eliminate the racial wealth and income gap in the U.S. While the framework falls short in some areas, such as not providing families with 12 weeks of paid leave, and not including a clear pathway to citizenship, it will significantly ensure our country recovers from the pandemic and work to dismantle racism in our systems and structures. Speaker Pelosi, Senator Schumer, and President Biden prioritized vulnerable communities in this package, which will transform the lives of millions. We look forward to passage of the bill to improve the lives of everyone in the United States and build our economy anew.”
Rev. Jennifer Butler, CEO of Faith in Public Life Action, said, “People of faith nationwide have prayed and acted for months to pass a Holy Recovery that enables every person to thrive. The Biden administration’s Build Back Better framework lays the foundation to knock down these barriers to thriving for our families and neighbors on a vast scale. Congress must now work to expand the circle of people included, and we will seek these improvements in a spirit of hopeful determination. The plan includes a major step toward long-overdue immigration policy reforms that honor the dignity of our undocumented neighbors and families. Taken together with other provisions in the framework, these policies address injustices that disproportionately harm women and people of color. Members of Congress must now finish the job in a spirit of moral commitment to human dignity. That means reinserting paid medical and family leave, ensuring pathways to citizenship for our immigrant neighbors, and no more misguided cuts. Behind all the dollars and cents are our neighbors and families. People of faith will continue working in the spirit of what Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called ‘creative maladjustment’ to the injustices and barriers to thriving that too many of our families and neighbors face, until the final vote is cast.”
“The heart of this historic Build Back Better agreement is a desire to re-imagine how we serve our neighbors, how we prioritize our neighbors, and how we level the playing field,” said Fran Eskin-Royer, Executive Director of the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. “We are creating a ‘new normal’ through policy and structures, chipping away at the inequities that exist and building up a stronger future for all of us – including our immigrant neighbors. Children, working families, immigrants, and other marginalized communities are at the heart of the matter for the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd and our coalition partners. We stand together with expectation and hope at this pivotal moment.”
Michele Dunne, Executive Director, Franciscan Action Network, said, “As Franciscans, we are called to solidarity with the most vulnerable in our society including undocumented immigrants, children, the elderly, and those lacking adequate healthcare. All will receive help through the Build Back Better legislation, as will our wounded earth. We hope this legislation is the first step in investing in healthcare, education, immigrant families, the environment, and a social safety net that fully protects all Americans and we pray that members of the US Congress will prioritize care for the vulnerable and for the earth as they cast their votes.”
Joyce Ajlouny, General Secretary, American Friends Service Committee, stated, “As negotiations continue on the Build Back Better bill, we are calling on our leaders to do everything in their power to deliver permanent protections, not second-class status, for immigrants in the U.S. The advice of the Parliamentarian does not outweigh our moral responsibility to build a more just and compassionate world.”
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of over 55 national, faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual. In partnership, we work to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all refugees and migrants. Follow us on Twitter @interfaithimm
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