Text of: 30841-GM-R542-U

Amend "Immigrants and Refugees: To Love the Sojourner," p. 542:

Page 543--II. Global Uprootedness

We live in a world where there are over 22 13 million people who are refugees, another 26 20 million who are internally displaced,....Even when refugees are allowed to return home, they face monumental many problems, such as political and economic instability and the possibility of being killed or maimed by land mines, millions of which have been left behind by former combatants. An example is Angola, a county that has more land mines than any other in the world. It is estimated that 20 million mines were laid during the twenty year civil war there. Today, it is

estimated that 70,000 Angolans have required amputations because of contact with mines. It

is also estimated that there are between 150 and 200 land mines victims every week in

Angola. Millions of land mines strewn wantonly during the wars in Cambodia,

Mozambique, El Salvador, Bosnia, Angola, Liberia and Sierra Leone continue to kill and

maim innocent victims as they struggle to rebuild their lives.

Page 544:

It is clear that the uprooted are vulnerable and need the protection of the international

community. Their numbers are growing as more people worldwide become victims of

wars, economic injustice, and environmental degradation. According to the United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR), it is estimated that one out of every 130 people

worldwide has been forced into flight. Because of civil wars and ethnic based

conflict, political repression and gross human rights violations. Refugees are being produced

at a rate of 10,000 per day. The 1990s is fast becoming have been termed the "decade of

uprootedness.," and the 2000s do not show promise of getting any better.

Most refugees come from the South and remain in the South, often in countries of first where they have sought asylum and where conditions are barely humane....In Europe, many governments are implementing policies that are designed to prevent asylum

seekers from successfully finding refuge within their borders. In Norway, for example,

according to law, asylum seekers may not apply for asylum unless they have close ties

with Norway. Such a law dispenses with equity in asylum procedures. The recent

increase in the number of uprooted persons demonstrates that the international community,

including the churches, must focus more attention on understanding and alleviating the

causes of forced human uprootedness, as well as responding to the consequences.

Page 545--III. Immigration and Asylum in the United States

The 1980s and early 1990s witnessed an influx of persons seeking asylum in the United States from Central America, including Haiti and Cuba. All of these groups fled a combination of dire poverty, government repression or persecution, and general strife in their homelands. This influx of refugees to the United States was unexpected, and many--particularly the Haitian, Salvadoran, and Guatemalan people-were denied the protection of asylum they so desperately needed. Recent laws have provided protection for some of these people, but there are still many more left uprooted and unprotected. In the United States, the federal government is proposing has passed legislation to prevent further influxes of migrants and asylum seekers by reinforcing the borders and

instituting restricted measures. The United States has engaged in a policy of forced

repatriation of unwanted Central American, Haitian, Cuban, and Chinese asylum seekers in

violation of international law. It has also engaged in detention practices and forced

repatriation of Chinese people and others asylum seekers without benefit of fair and

equal protection under the law. Current legislative initiatives seek to reduce family

immigration by 32 percent, slash refugee admissions by over 50 percent, introduce a

national identification system, and bar legal immigrant's access to government assistance,

leaving them vulnerable when they fall on hard times. In 1996, Congress passed three laws

which reshaped immigration in the United States: the Illegal Immigration Reform and

Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA), the Welfare Reform Act, and the Anti-terrorism

and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA). This legislation does everything from barring

legal immigrants' access to government assistance, barring asylum seekers from the

rights of due process, allowing secret evidence to be used in deportation hearings to requiring deportation retroactively for past legal offenses by non-citizens. And even though some gains have been made, Congress continues to introduce legislation that is harmful to our immigrant neighbor.

Page 546:

In California, the passage of Proposition 187, and initiative that would deny public education

to the children of undocumented persons, would also deny them non-emergency healthcare and require government employees, private individuals, and providers to report to the authorities individuals whom they suspect are undocumented. The implementation of the initiative is currently pending in court. In the meantime, those who look or sound foreign already suffer from discrimination in both the workplace and in daily life.

These laws have created suffering in the immigrant community and have helped to

foster an environment where iImmigrant bashing, a particularly virulent form of

anti-immigrant bias, seems stronger than ever....

Therefore, we call upon The United Methodist Church, in collaboration with other ecumenical and interdenominational organizations, to urge the government of the United States, as well as all other governments:

Page 547

6. To adopt reasonable standards for consideration as refugges for tose seeking asylum and to eliminate within the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) all abuses of civil and human rights, including such practices as the violation of due process, denial of bond, detention of non-criminal asylum seekers, and hasty deportation of people who are undocumented . . .

Page 548

8. To work with civil and legal organizations to support communities that are now or will be

affected by the destructive enactment of immigration policies like California's Proposition 187 the new laws of 1996: IIRAIRA, Welfare Reform and AEDPA;

We recommend that the General Board of Church and Society and the General Board of Global Ministries:

3. Advocate against legislation that seeks to establish national identification systems for repeal of the harsh provisions of IIRAIRA and Welfare Reform;

5. Lead United Methodists throughout the United States and the world in the fight against . . .

6. Lead the churches throughout the United States and the world in recognizing the . . .

Page 549

10. Develop marterials to educate the churches on immigration as well as on issues related to refugees and asylum seekers; and

11. Assist the churches in advocating for fair and just immigration laws and practices.; and

12. Support communities and congregations by prayer and action where such measures as Proposition 187 may be implemented at any time in the future, and develop strategies and action plans to counter similar initiatives in other states.

 

 

 

 

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