A Principled Approach
As we witness the impact of the broken immigration system on immigrant families and American communities, LIRS advocates for reform, taking a principled approach as we work with partners and groups across the political spectrum including business, labor, faith-based, rights groups and immigrants themselves.

Creating an Orderly, Fair System that Reflects Our Values
The U.S. government has the sovereign responsibility to establish an orderly, fair immigration system. The system must uphold our values regarding family unity, immigrants and the law. We recall that immigrants are God's children, too, who often have fled to the United States because political, social and economic conditions in their home countries made it impossible for them to provide for their families and maintain their human dignity. As we continue to work and pray for reform, we recall our faith tradition and family histories, "You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt" (Exodus 23.9, NRSV).

Taking Stock of the Broken Immigration System
An estimated 12 million undocumented people currently live in the United States. (1) Who are they and why are they here? Who are they and why are they here? As has always been the case, these are people who migrated here for family, work and freedom—to unite with loved ones, to take up employment or to seek refuge from persecution. They are often the same honest, hardworking people who take care of our parents and children, clean our offices and harvest our food. They come and remain here to carry out vital services for our communities, doing jobs for which there are not enough U.S. workers. Nonetheless, the system does not provide a viable way for them to receive documentation. As a result, they often work for unfair wages in unsafe conditions, marginalized from the rest of society and either separated from their families or or united but constantly threatened by arrest and removal from the United States.

Seeking Justice, Mercy and the Common Good
We carefully consider these injustices and also the common good, "The existence of a permanent sub-group of people who live without recourse to effective legal protection opens the door for their massive abuse and exploitation and harms the common good." (2) We need to restore the integrity of the broken system, but any reform must acknowledge that these newcomers are integral to our communities and interwoven into the economic, cultural and political fabric of our society. It must also acknowledge that as a nation of immigrants and of laws we must be humane and just to newcomers and their families while assuring accountability and orderly migration.

Applying Four Essential Principles for Just and Humane Immigration Reform
To meet the needs of immigrants, their families and American communities, reform must

• unite families;
• protect human rights and worker rights;
• end marginalization and enable people to come out of the shadows and live without fear; and
• give immigrants and their families a path toward permanence.