Thursday, April 06, 2006

Baptist Pastor on Legal and Illegal Immigration

Tom Ascol is a reformed Southern Baptist pastor in south Florida who has grappled with issues surrounding flawed American immigration policies and illegal immigration, as they relate to the lives of real people in his community and congregation. The blog he wrote today merits reading by anyone with a concern or an opinion on the issue. Here's just a small snippet of what he wrote:

What do you say to a young man who has come to Christ through the church's outreach and wants to be baptized and join but whose visa has expired? He wants to become legal but every avenue he has pursued has resulted in a dead end. Talk of various types of amnesty has kept him hopeful, but he is here illegally.

What about the devoted Christian family that were working through what they were told was a legal channel to pursue permanent residency only to discover that they were scammed and are now left with no passport, visa, or any other form of legal identification. When we contacted legal authorities we were simply told that they were "small fish" and that, though it is unlikely, there is a slight possibility that in 10 years or so their case might come to light and receive some attention.

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