May 26, 2009
by Melissa Ramirez Cooper

The Rev. H. Julian Gordy, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Southeastern Synod, Atlanta, is supporting the Reuniting Families Act, a bill being reintroduced to Congress by Senators Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). Gordy said the bill is an "important piece of legislation (that) advances the common good by enabling family members to reunite with their loved ones more quickly and by reducing hardship faced by families at risk of being separated and those who are separated." Gordy and Menendez spoke during a May 20 telephone briefing hosted by the Asian American Justice Center, Washington, D.C. Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) issued a statement that day featuring Gordy's comments. LIRS is a cooperative agency of the ELCA, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It is the national agency established by these churches to "carry out their ministry with uprooted people."

"As Lutheran leaders in the United States who recognize the importance of the family in building strong communities, we are deeply concerned that the U.S. immigration system keeps families apart for years and sometimes decades," Gordy said. "We see the strain of this separation on American families and communities, particularly during tough economic times." Gordy said the current family-based immigration system requires adult siblings of U.S. citizens to wait 10 and up to 20 years to reunite. "As faith leaders who provide ministry and service to families world- and nationwide, we see no benefit to anyone when families are separated for this long," he said.

At the briefing, Menendez said he strongly supports the Reuniting Families Act because "family unity is a cornerstone of our society and something that all Americans equally value." He said the bill is about legal immigrants reuniting with their families, focusing "on making sure that we reform America's family-based immigration systems to end lengthy separation of love ones and to promote family stability and foster economic growth that immigrant families have provided throughout our history as a country." The current system has not been updated in 20 years, Menendez said. The bill would work to "build strong communities," he said. "Legal immigrants who have the support of strong families are more likely to work hard, pay taxes, (and) start businesses that create jobs." Menendez added that the bill would also protect children, widows and widowers, protecting "people who have already applied for a family visa from losing their place in line after the death of a relative." "I just think that on all of the core values that we as Americans share, this legislation (hits) squarely on all of those values, and I'm looking forward to its success this year."

ELCA News Service