“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice” — Martin Luther King Jr.
NEW YORK (Press Release)–The following is a statement by Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc Jewish Action on President Obama’s order to review the administration’s enforcement of deportations.
“We applaud President Obama for ordering a review of his administration’s deportation policy. Inhumane deportations have torn apart millions of families and haunted our national conscience. This order is testament to the relentless work of courageous young activists who came out of the shadows to chain themselves to government buildings, lie down in front of deportation buses, and demonstrate the cruelty of the border fence through dramatic family reunions held across the steel barrier. It is testament to the national coalition of allies, faith leaders and civil rights leaders who marched on the Mall in October. A review is a good start, but we need action and we need it soon.
“America is a nation built by immigrants. This order is a small affirmation that, no matter the challenges, America is always striving to live up to its core values.
“But we have a long way to go and the President alone can only do so much. While this review may provide hope for families who live in fear of being separated, we need to overhaul our dysfunctional and immoral immigration system, and replace it a comprehensive policy that protects human dignity.
“It’s long past time for Republican leaders in the House to end their senseless obstruction and put immigration reform on the House floor for a vote. The rest of us will continue to organize our communities, to call our members of congress, to write letters, to march, to risk arrest, and to play our part in the movement for just and comprehensive immigration reform.”
Over the past year Bend the Arc organized America’s Jewish community around the issue of immigration, arranging meetings between Jewish leaders and congressional staff, hosting immigration-themed Shabbats, organizing petitions, and participating in marches, vigils, and town halls to deliver the message that immigration reform is a top priority for Jewish voters. Bend the Arc’s rabbi in residence was arrested at a national demonstration for immigration reform alongside members of Congress during an act of civil disobedience on the National Mall.
Bend the Arc’s website, EntryDenied.org, aims to make the experience of those caught in the opaque bureaucracy of today’s immigration system more accessible by enabling visitors to put their own family histories into the system and see if they would be denied.
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Preceding provided by Bend The Arc Jewish Action
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The writer misses the point. Americans do not oppose immigration but they do oppose illegal immigration. If Israel were to allow all the descendents of the arab population which was displaced in the 1948 war to return to Israel it would be a demographic disaster of the nation and would in the end destroy the Jewish state. Similarly, open immigration and the ignoring of our immigration laws would prove, in the long run, to be detrimental to America, its people and its culture. Just like Israel, America has the right to decide who comes to our nation and under what conditions. Our present immigration laws are very liberal for we do not oppose immigration that is legal but the majority of Americans vehemently oppose illegal immigration and the many problems it has caused in our nation. If there is “comprehensive” immigration reform, it can only be successful if it addresses both the presence of over 11 million illegal aliens presently living in our nation and the need to severely curtail future illegal immigration.