Dozens of Methodist pastors from across Georgia have signed a letter calling on the House of Representatives to halt all deportations and to provide citizenship for immigrants living illegally in the U.S.
In all, more than 1,300 Methodist bishops and pastors from 49 states signed the letter sent to the Republican-controlled House Thursday.
“As bishops and pastors of The United Methodist Church, we implore you to take action immediately and pass immigration reform that provides genuine solutions for the broken immigration system in the United States,” the letter says. “Many of our United Methodist churches minister with and among immigrant communities and thus we witness firsthand every day the fear and uncertainty that so many immigrant families are forced to live under.”
The letter arrived in Washington Thursday as comprehensive immigration legislation remains stalled in Congress.
In June, the Democratic-led Senate passed bipartisan immigration legislation that would provide a 13-year pathway to citizenship for immigrants living illegally in the U.S. Critics say such a pathway would reward lawbreakers and encourage more immigrants to enter the country illegally.
Last week, Republican House Speaker John Boehner said he had no intention of taking up the Senate’s omnibus legislation. Instead, House Republican leaders are taking a piecemeal approach and considering smaller and more narrowly focused immigration bills, some dealing with interior enforcement and border security.
Read the letter from the Methodist clergy and see who signed it here: Letter.
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