(Cross-posted from the website of the N.C. Council of Churches) Over the past several months I’ve been shaking my head at my computer screen, reading headlines from across the Southeast about new state immigration laws. This crop of new laws, enacted in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, and modeled after Arizona’s now [Continue Reading...]
In a hyper-partisan era characterized by failures of leadership across the board, perhaps no single issue illustrates government gridlock better than immigration. Everyone knows that our current immigration system is broken. Year after year, proposals to help fix the system have been introduced in Washington, only to die without ever taking effect. Understandably, [Continue Reading...]
Three students go on a hunger strike outside a U.S. Senator’s office. Two young children wave a tearful goodbye to their father, not knowing when they will ever see him again. Hundreds march in the streets of Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh. And all of these events occurred because our broken immigration system continues to undermine families across the state. What lessons can we learn from this summer’s immigration debate?
Beyond the headlines that have dominated the political landscape over the last few months (health care reform, partisan bickering, too much change or not enough, etc.), are some vital issues that have been too often ignored by politicians and the public alike. Here’s one that deserves a lot more attention: our dysfunctional immigration system which continues to undermine families, employers and workers, while presenting unwinnable choices to local policy makers and law enforcement. [Continue Reading...]
