Lofgren Commends Catholic Bishops for Immigration Reform Letter

Lofgren Commends Catholic Bishops for Immigration Reform Letter

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) sent a "Dear Colleague" letter to all Members of the House of Representatives this week, bringing their attention to a letter sent by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) reiterating the Bishops' strong support for comprehensive immigration reform and their opposition to the Republican-crafted immigration bill, H.R. 4437. Roman Catholic Cardinals are also scheduled to meet with Congressional leaders today to discuss the need for comprehensive immigration reform.

"I commend the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for standing up for the 11 million undocumented immigrants and the countless number of good Samaritans in their recent letter opposing the Republican-crafted House Immigration Bill. HR 4437 is a radical piece of legislation that will neither secure this nation, nor solve the problem of illegal immigration. The Bishops are an important voice in this debate and I hope their call for comprehensive immigration reform will not fall on deaf ears in the Republican-controlled Congress," said Rep. Lofgren.

The text of the Dear Colleague and original USCCB letter is below:

April 26, 2006

Dear Colleague,

I would like to bring the attached letter from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to your attention.

In their letter, the USCCB reiterates their strong support for comprehensive immigration reform and their opposition to H.R. 4437.

They also explain that reducing the penalty for unlawful presence from a felony to a misdemeanor, as proposed by the Sensenbrenner amendment and opposed by a solid majority in the House (including most Democrats), would still criminalize millions of undocumented immigrants for the first time in history.

Finally, the USCCB explains that good Samaritans should not be subject to prosecution by prosecutors who could use their power and a provision in H.R. 4437 to make criminals of humanitarian workers.

Sincerely,

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (CA-16)

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ca16_lofgren/042806_Lofgren_Catholic_Bishops_Immigration_Letter.html