Original: Spanish
7th November 2020
The Catholic organisations on the US-Mexico border congratulate President-elect Biden on his commitment to work for immigration reform.
Congratulations to you, Mr. Joseph R. Biden Jr. for your election as the next President of the United States.
He is taking office at a time when the country faces great challenges and needs. We are looking for a renewed political vision as a commitment to the common good, restored democratic institutions and norms, a way forward for the pandemic, reconciliation and racial reparations, and a leadership vision able to generate solidarity and bridge differences.
As an organization working directly with migrants and refugees on the U.S.-Mexico border, we shall continue to make the voices of the marginalized heard. The anxiety of those who are punished daily at the border for seeking a safe and dignified life for themselves and their families is a stark verdict: the US immigration system, the global economy and entrenched attitudes of indifference are causing our sisters and brothers in need to be left behind. Strategies based on law enforcement alone continue to separate families and expel long-time community members making our country richer.
We are committed on working alongside with you to help the people who have been neglected and left behind at the border. We are asking you to prioritize urgently needed immigration reform. To respond to the needs and opportunities of this historical time, reforms must include a pathway to citizenship for undocumented migrants, an ending to detention and massive deportations, the rehabilitation and renewal of the asylum system, focused development assistance for origin countries to deal with the underlying causes of migration, and a complete re-evaluation of the application of immigration laws at the border. Above all, it must lead towards a vision which is people-centred, acknowledges the human dignity of all, regardless of their immigration status, and defends our interconnected and vibrant border communities.
What we need now is moral leadership that unites us and rejects any form of hate. As Catholics, we urge you to welcome among us the vulnerable and oppressed, who we believe are no one else but Christ knocking at our door
Rev. Sean Carroll SJ, Executive Director Kino Border Initiative Sr. Norma Pimentel MJ, Executive Director Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley Dylan Corbett, Executive Director Hope Border Institute