Wednesday, January 20, 2010

ST. MARGARET MARY DEANERY — While other issues crowd the headlines, immigration reform is a topic that remains of vital interest to the U.S. bishops and to Catholics throughout the United States.

Attendees were vocal and visible in their sentiment about immigration reform. Click here for more photos from the rally. (CT/E.L. Hubbard)

“Fighting for the American Dream” was the topic of a comprehensive immigration reform rally held Jan. 16 in Cincinnati, drawing several hundred attendees. The event was sponsored by Su Casa, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s Catholic Social Action Office, the Ohio Faith and Democracy Collaborative, UFCW Local 75, and the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center, among others.

In a statement read at the rally, Cincinnati Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr told those in attendance that he stands “in solidarity as you make your public cry for a comprehensive reform of our nation’s immigration laws.”

“For a number of years now, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati has joined the chorus of the rest of the Catholic Church, as well as many other faith traditions throughout this country, to call for a more just immigration system. Today, I would like to renew that commitment to work with you here, so that we may convince our federal legislators and the administration to make immigration reform a reality.”

The archbishop said he joined in a call for legislators to create new immigration policies that reduce the waiting times for separated families to be reunified; offer opportunity for hard-working immigrants who are already making contributions to the United States to “come out of the shadows and become legal residents”; and offer more legal avenues for workers and their families who migrate to our country; and make enforcement policies that treat all individuals with respect, while enabling authorities to prevent entry of terrorists and dangerous criminals.

“Our nation cannot miss another opportunity to fix our broken system,” he added. “Now is the time for us to decide to build bridges rather than more walls.”