Anmerkungen:
In: University of Detroit Mercy Law Review, Vol. 83, No. 829, 2006
Nach Informationen von SSRN wurde die ursprüngliche Fassung des Dokuments March 15, 2006 erstellt
Beschreibung:
Despite the lack of attention paid to immigration policy as a moral issue during the 2006 Congressional elections, the intense debate which has arisen around this issue since that time confirms that the United States' policies, laws, and practices towards non-citizens do in fact raise a whole host of moral and ethical concerns about which many Americans feel very strongly. This article considers how interjecting these moral values into the debate on the United States' admittedly broken immigration system could lead to reforms that are at once workable and humane. The article also calls into question the failure of the Christian right to give equal time to this particular set of core religious values calling for fairness and justice for the alien, in their efforts to shape national immigration policy. Part II of the article describes the long tradition of hospitality to the stranger found in the narratives of both the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, a tradition requiring all people to extend welcome, equal protection, and justice to the alien in their midst. Part III addresses the ways in which these narratives from diverse religious traditions can and should contribute to and enrich the current debate over immigration reform. Finally, Part IV offers three specific examples of how United States immigration law and policy might be brought more in line with these moral and ethical mandates to show hospitality to the stranger, and how doing so could lead to a more just and effectual immigration system. This article is based on a presentation given at a conference, Strangers No Longer: Immigration Law and Policy in the Light of Religious Values, sponsored by the Fordham University Law School Institute on Religion, Law & Lawyer's Work