Listen to this article
By Jared McKiernan
The Salvation Army USA endorsed a statement issued by the Evangelical Immigration Table (EIT)––a coalition of evangelical Christian organizations that supports bipartisan immigration reform––in hopes of sending a message to Congress.
National Commander Commissioner William A. Roberts signed the EIT’s Evangelical Statement of Principles for Immigration Reform on behalf of The Salvation Army, joining Sojourners, World Relief, National Association of Evangelicals, Christian Community Development, Esperanza, National Latino Evangelical Coalition and several other organizations who have backed the statement.
Organizational leaders originally issued the statement in 2010, but are reissuing it now due to disappointment in its number of supporters and overall progress since then.
The statement calls for legislation that: “Respects the God-given dignity of every person, protects the unity of the immediate family, respects the rule of the law, guarantees secure national borders, ensures fairness to taxpayers, and establishes a path toward legal status and/or citizenship for those who qualify and wish to become citizens.”
The EIT included these principles in an open letter addressed to Congress on May 2.
The EIT’s proposal for Commissioner Roberts to endorse the statement concluded, “…we must come together and go beyond divisive immigration rhetoric. I hope you will join me in this call.”
