Immigration Reform Letter to President Barack Obama

Colleagues:
 
It has taken some time but finally we are ready for our next steps. I am writing to give you follow-up on the immigration letter some of you signed some time ago. I appreciate you doing this in solidarity and out of a sense of friendship. I also appreciate that you all responded so quickly out of a sense of profound commitment to this cause.
 
As I mentioned Esperanza is now taking the lead to get the word out on this. It will be presented to President Barack Obama at the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast in June sponsored by Esperanza.  Now the real work continues, please forward this link after reading the article below to any Christian leaders who may be interested in signing either as a leader or supporter: (Perhaps putting a link on your website to the Esperanza page may be helpful):

The link is:

http://www.esperanza.us/site/c.giKPL8PQLvF/b.3920279/k.76C4/Immigration_Reform_Letter.htm

Bendiciones,

Gabriel Salguero
The Rev. Gabriel A. Salguero
The Latino Leadership Circle
Director, Hispanic Leadership Program
Princeton Theological Seminary
gabriel.salguero@ptsem.edu

Letter Below:

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The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
Washington, DC

Dear Mr. President:

We congratulate you on your historic victory and the mandate for change
that came so clearly out of your election this past November. As
Hispanic Evangelical leaders and pastors of churches around the
country, we stand ready to do our part to realize the promise of
change. In our communities, an essential part of that change means
enacting just and humane immigration reform.

We are leaders serving a diverse spectrum of churches, but we are
united in the belief that every human being is created in the image of
God. We take seriously the Gospel’s call to treat the foreigner with
respect and compassion. Acting on this call means raising a public
voice for immigration reform as a moral and spiritual issue.

When our current approaches leave families afraid to send their
children to school, go to the grocery store, talk to the police during
an emergency, or even answer a knock at the door, regardless of the
nature of their immigration status, we must speak up. A divided,
polarized, and frightened community works in complete contrast to the
message of Christ’s love and reconciliation we strive to communicate in
our world.

Congress’s failure to pass immigration reform in 2007 has only
exacerbated the problem, confusing enforcement procedures at the state
and local level and contributing to a climate where hateful rhetoric
dominates the national dialogue. It was exactly this climate that drove
so many Hispanic voters to the polls in November. Our community turned
out to vote in record numbers, largely motivated by the negative
rhetoric of the immigration debates in 2006 and 2007. We are looking
for a solution.

We were encouraged by your campaign promise to act on immigration
reform in the first year of your administration and we commit to
working with you to achieve this goal. We urge an end to raids that
divide and terrorize families and support a comprehensive reform that
would prioritize family unity so husbands, wives, parents and children
won’t be forced to wait years to reunite with their loved ones. We must
effectively enforce our borders and restore the rule of law in this
country, but we must also look with compassion upon the immigrants who
are here.

We pray that your administration will work with Congress to take action
on comprehensive immigration reform by Thanksgiving of 2009. As
Americans we must not forget our history and values as a welcoming
nation. It’s time for our country to come together so that all members
of our society can share in the responsibility and the promise of
making America the best it can be.

Sincerely,

STEERING COMMITTEE/ DRAFTERS:

The Rev. Luis Cortés, Jr. President/CEO, Esperanza

The Rev. Gabriel A. Salguero,
Executive, The Latino Leadership Circle,
Director, Hispanic Leadership Program, Princeton Theological Seminary,

The Rev. Wilfredo DeJesus,
Senior Pastor, New Life Church, Chicago, IL

The Rev. Dr. Raymond Rivera,
Pastor/Executive Director, The Latino Pastoral Action Center, Bronx, NY

The Rev. Joshua Rodriguez
Senior Pastor, The Cityline Church, Jersey City, NJ

Bishop Dr. Héctor L. Bonano
Presiding Bishop, CONLICO), NY, NY

CHARTER SIGNATURES:

The Rev. Dr. Nino González,
Senior Pastor/District Superintendent
El Calvario, Southeastern Spanish District Assemblies of God, FL

The Rev. Dr. Rogelio Ovalle,
Assistant Superintendent. NPLAD, Sacramento, CA

The Rev. David Ramos,
President/Convener, The Latino Leadership Circle, NY

The Rev. Dr. Isaías Mercado
Pastor/Vice-President, The Carpenter’s House/The Latino Leadership Foundation, Chicago, IL

The Rev. Dr. Roberto Hodgson Director, Hispanic Missions USA/Canada Church of the Nazarene, KS

The Rev. Luis A. Carlo, Ed.D
Associate Dean, Alliance Theological Seminary, NY

The Rev. Dr. Elizabeth D. Rios
Executive Pastor/President
Save The Nations/Center for Emerging Female Leadership, Orlando, FL

HISPANIC EVANGELICAL LEADERS

The Rev. Edwin Vargas,
President, Dia Nacional de Oración en Puerto Rico, P.R.

The Rev. Brigido Cabrera
Executive Director, Hispanic Ministries Reformed Church in America, NY

The Rev. Dr. Samuel Pagán,
Academic Dean, FCTS

The Rev. Maribel Zacapa
California Women’s Ministry Director, CA
Church Of God of Prophecy

The Rev. Eugenio Ambert
Executive & Senior Pastor, Centro de Embajadores, PR

Marilyn Hartman
El Shaddai Bethlehem, Bethlehem, PA

PROMINENT FAITH LEADERS

The Rev. Dr. Joel C. Hunter,
Senior Pastor, Northland – A Church Distributed

The Rev. Ronald Sider, Ph.D
President, Evangelicals for Social Action

David P. Gushee, Ph.D
President, Evangelicals for Human Rights
Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics, Mercer University, Atlanta, GA

Bart Campolo,
Leader, The Walnut Hills Fellowship, Cincinnati, OH
Executive Director, EAPE

The Rev. Dr. Oliver R. Phillips
Director, Mission Strategy for the Church of the Nazarene, Lenexa, KS

Lisa Sharon Harper
Executive Director, NY Faith & Justice, NY

The Rev. Jimmy Seong G. Lim
Executive Director,The Council of Churches of the City of New York

The Rev. Luke A. Powery, Ph.D
Perry and Georgia Engle Assistant Professor of Homiletics
Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ
Brian McLaren, author and speaker

SUPPORTERS

Noemí Ayuso
Esperanza, Philadelphia, PA