Current immigration system undermines American values

americaThe leaders of over a third of the country’s 244 Catholic universities and colleges have urged Congress to pass immigration reform, saying that the way the country currently treats immigrants is “morally indefensible.”  The call was made by the heads of over 90 Catholic higher learning institutions in a letter to the 135 out of 434 Catholic members of the House of Representatives, including Nancy Pelosi of California, the Democratic Minority Leader, and Republican House Speaker John Boehner from Ohio.

“Tonight we represent universities that educate more than 260,000 students,” said the presidents of the universities.  “Our broken immigration system, which tears parents from children, traps aspiring Americans in the shadows, and undermines the best values of this nation, is morally indefensible.”

The letter, which is expected to be announced during a conference call today, was made public yesterday on the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities website.  The ACCU is an organization, based in Washington, which represents the great majority of the institutions.  The Catholic academics’ endorsement of immigration reform comes as House members debate the measure that was passed last month by the Senate.

The passed bill would expand the provisions for an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants as well as offer a path to US citizenship providing that a new series of measures to bolster security on the border between the United States and Mexico were implemented, including the addition of a further 40,000 border security agents.  “No human being made in the image of God is illegal,” the letter states.