Evangelicals Call For "Just Assimilation" Immigration Policy

A Statement (full text) released om Tuesday and signed by six leading evangelical leaders calls for a "just assimilation immigration policy." It says in part:

We must first secure our borders before we can implement a broader just assimilation immigration policy. Secure borders are not closed borders....

After securing our borders, we should allow the millions of undocumented and otherwise law-abiding persons living in our midst to come out of the shadows. The pathway for earned legal citizenship or temporary residency should involve a program of legalization for undocumented persons in the United States, subject to appropriate penalties, waiting periods, background checks, evidence of moral character, a commitment to full participation in American society through an understanding of the English language, the rights and duties of citizens and the structure of America’s government, and the embrace of American values.

We must return to a rational immigration policy that acknowledges that we are both a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. It is our obligation to provide a just solution to those people who are currently undocumented under the present policy. That solution is neither amnesty nor mass deportation.

Among the signers of the statement were Liberty Counsel's Matt Staver, and Southern Baptist Convention's Richard Land. Also signing was the head of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.