In an unprecedented gathering of interfaith religious leaders, Capital Area bishops and clergy held a press conference today, Wednesday, April 13, to call on legislators to oppose measures that would harm immigrant families. Leer en Español.

"We respect the rule of law, but our diverse faith traditions challenge us to welcome the stranger among us with compassion and hope," said Bishop James Dorff of Southwest Texas Conference of the Methodist Church. "In our holy writings, we are called to love immigrants, and to integrate them into our communities. In Leviticus we are told  'The strangers who sojourns 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.' In the Christian tradition, Matthew 25, Jesus says, 'I was a stranger and you took me in.' Our prayer is that we can find common ground on this issue, and the debate will be marked by a civil tone."

The faith leaders specifically discussed their opposition to House Bill 12. "We oppose HB 12, the so called “sanctuary city” bill because would prohibit a municipality from adopting a policy that prohibits employees from inquiring about the immigration status of a person lawfully detained or arrested. This bill threatens public safety and endangers the civil and constitutional rights of Texas residents. It is an expensive way to make our cities less safe and our schools less safe," said Bishop Joe Vásquez.  "We urge Texas legislators to provide guidance and leadership to our state by rejecting policies that could encourage discrimination, co-opt local law enforcement, or scapegoat immigrants."

The Texas Catholic Conference opposes HB 12 because it is not the responsibility of local law enforcement to enforce federal laws and opposes any legislation that would punish state agencies that do not enforce federal laws. The Conference maintains that immigration reform must be dealt with federally through comprehensive immigration reform. Click here to read TCC testimony on HB 12.

"Immigrant families and working people are deeply integrated into the very fabric of our city’s life.  They’re economically productive members of our community who contribute significantly to our city’s economic well-being, political life, and social and cultural identity.  We believe in God’s call to do all that’s in our power to strengthen the social, cultural, political, and economic fabric of our community,” said Tom Vandestadt of the Congregational Church of Austin and a pastor with Austin Interfaith. “We oppose HB12 because it will tear apart the very fabric of our city.  This bill will greatly diminish, perhaps destroy, the trust that’s been built up over the years between our police department and immigrant residents, thereby making our neighborhoods less safe and our community less cohesive.  This bill will force some of our city’s most economically productive working people out of their jobs, and compel others in our workforce to suffer greater exploitation without recourse to legal protection; it’ll hurt our workers, their families, and a city that benefits greatly from their skilled labor.”

The Church teaches that "immigration can be a resource for development rather than an obstacle to it. In the modern world, where there are still grave inequalities between rich countries and poor countries, and where advances in communications quickly reduce distances, the immigration of people looking for a better life is on the increase. These people come from less privileged areas of the earth and their arrival in developed countries is often perceived as a threat to the high levels of well-being achieved thanks to decades of economic growth. In most cases, however, immigrants fill a labor need which would otherwise remain unfilled in sectors and territories where the local workforce is insufficient or unwilling to engage in the work in question (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 297)." 

Other participants in the press conference included Bishop Ray Tiemann of the Southwest Texas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Rabbi Alan Freedman of Temple Beth Shalom, Rabbi Neil Blumofe of Congregation Agudas Achim, and representatives from the Episcopal Diocese of Texas and Mission Presbytery. The press conference was held in conjunction with Austin Interfaith, a coalition of congregations and other organizations in Central Texas.

Currently, more than 60 anti-immigrant bills have been filed at the legislature, including measures that would:

• require local law enforcement to do the work of federal immigration agents
• require schools and government agencies to verify the immigration status of children and parents
• restrict access to social services for undocumented immigrants and their children
• restrict access to higher education, in-state tuition, and financial aid to undocumented immigrant students

To see a complete list of immigration bills that the the Texas Catholic Conference is taking a position on, click here. Click here to read the Texas Interfaith Leaders' Statement on Immigration Legislation in the 82nd Texas Legislature.

See below for our Immigration Policy Papers:

Immigration: We recognize the historic and present-day contributions of immigrants in Texas by supporting their ability to work in a healthy environment in order to provide for their families and continue their valuable participation in the community.

• Support comprehensive immigration reform including a pathway to legalization.
• Support efforts to ensure students who attend Texas public schools have access to in-state college tuition.
• Oppose efforts to reduce access to education for immigrants.
• Oppose attempts ito reduce access to healthcare for immigrants.
• Oppose federal and state funding for a fence along the Texas-Mexico border.
• Oppose local and state entities enforcing federal immigration laws.
• Oppose efforts that make acquiring Texas drivers' licenses and identification documents more difficult for immigrants.