We, the following listed members of the Vincentian Family Social Justice Collaborative in North America, support comprehensive immigration reform, forged from core Christian social beliefs that honor the dignity of every human being. Mindful of the challenges facing our countries and the conflicting priorities present today, we believe immigration reform must:

• Preserve and ensure family unity as a corner-stone of our national immigration system
• Safeguard the rights of immigrant workers, including the restoration of due process and humane policies to our immigration enforcement polices
• Ensure appropriate resources are available to process those presenting themselves legally to our borders requesting asylum or applying for immigration
• Provide a measured response to the relatively low number of undocumented immigrants illegally crossing the borders into the United States and Canada.
• Foster prompt and efficient processing of already-approved immigrants
• Enhance the present diversity visa program for migrants to receive permanent residency
• Provide more robust, legal channels for foreign national workers to come and work in the U.S. and Canada
• Provide a clear and direct pathway to citizenship for undocumented persons in the U.S. and Canada
• Address core human-driven causes of migration, such as persecution, violence, economic desolation, climate, etc., which result in life-threatening situations around the world.

We urge each branch of the Vincentian Family in North American to seek specific ways to support this statement in our daily service and way of life.

Sister Carol DeAngelo, SCNY, Sisters of Charity of New York
Melissa Gibilaro, Sisters of Charity of Halifax
Jack Murphy, Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA 
Jim Paddon, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Canada
Debbie Weber, Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati 
Mary Frances Jaster, MISEVI – USA
Sister Julie Cutter, DC, Daughters of Charity, Province Of St. Louise
Father Louie Arceneaux, CM, Congregation of the Mission, Western Province USA
Sister Margaret Louise Brown, DC, Daughter of Charity, Province of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Editors note:  This is a group of Vincentian Family members who meet regularly at the request of the leaders of their respective branches. Their reflections do not represent Vincentian Family policy, but are shared to spur our reflection and action. Look for these contributions the third Thursday of each month. Comments are very much appreciated.