Faith organizations urge Bush to reform immigration laws

WASHINGTON (AP) -- More than 40 national religious groups and 100 clergy and local faith organizations are calling on President Bush and Congress to reform U.S. immigration laws.
The interfaith group said elected officials should normalize the status of the many immigrants who already work in the United States so they can become permanent legal residents and reunite their family members in this country. Some undocumented immigrants must wait years for authorization to bring their relatives to the United States, the faith group said.
The religious leaders are also seeking changes in border protection policies "consistent with humanitarian values" while allowing authorities to block entry for terrorists and criminals, according to their joint statement last week.
"While we support the right of the government to enforce the law and protect the national security interests of the United States, we recognize that our existing complex and unworkable immigration system has made it nearly impossible for many immigrants," to gain lawful entry, they said.
Among the signers are the Episcopal Church, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Union for Reform Judaism and the Islamic Circle of North America.