The Stranger who sojourn with you shall be to you as the natives among you, and you shall love them as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Leviticus 19:33-34.

Every human being has the right to freedom of movement and of
residence within the confines of his/her own country; and when there are just reasons for it, the right to emigrate to other countries and take up residence there. The fact that one is a citizen of a particular State does not detract in any way from his/her membership in the human family as a whole, nor from his or her citizenship in the world community.
Pacem in Terris: Peace on Earth, 1963 Pope John XXIII

Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each State.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 13.

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On the issue of immigration, we at 8th Day Center have seen this issue as another _expression_ of our concern in promoting the rights and dignity of all members of the human community. We have and continue to accept the principles expressed above when it comes to how we should treat our fellow migrants.

The immigrant community is core to the historical development of the United States and this nation has benefitted enormously from migrants throughout the years. The immigrant community has paid between $90 and $140 billion a year in taxes. In one conservative estimate, immigrants earn about $240 billion a year, pay about $90 billion a year in taxes, and use about $5 billion in public funds, thus dispelling the myth that they abuse our welfare system and drain our resources.

Currently our nation is concerned with national security and as a result it has taken an aggressive stand against the immigrant community. We believe that our national security concerns would be better addressed with an immigration system that openly process well-intentioned immigrants to enter this nation by legal means thus granting us the security of knowing who is within our borders.

(For more FACTS AND FIGURES, such as Frequently Asked Questions, Immigration Basics and Myths about immigrants, visit http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/facts_figures.html)

Right now Congress is working feverishly to resolve the issue of immigration and presently there are no less then five bills in Congress that are in one way or another attempting to reform the process of immigration.

ACTIONS
Currently Senator Specter, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is putting together "The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006." Please contact your Senator and ask them to make sure that this immigration bill includes the following provisions:
1) A path to legalization,
2) Family reunification,
3) Worker protections,
4) An effective, humane, border policy.

You may find their contact information at

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Here or here

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or call the Capital switchboard toll free at 888-818-6641 or 888-355-3588. Toll calls at 202-224-3121.

OR

Visit the following Legislative action site from Justice for Immigrants for more information and sample letters for this comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill.
http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/action.html


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