Catholic Lobby Backs Updating Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act

For Immediate Release: August 23, 2022
Contact: Audrey Carroll, acarroll@networklobby.org, 202-601-7875

Catholic Lobby Backs Updating Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice added its support to a bill that would offer a pathway to citizenship to more than 8 million people in the U.S. who do not have legal immigration status.

H.R.8433, the “Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929,” introduced by Reps. Zoe Lofgren (CA-19), would update a provision of the nearly century-old immigration law. The original law created a registry by which people who had arrived in the United States prior to June 3, 1921 could apply for permanent resident status. That cutoff date has been updated four times, most recently under President Ronald Reagan in 1986. H.R.8433 proposes moving the registry cutoff date closer to 2022 or instituting a rolling update, which would eliminate the need for future Congressional action.

Ronnate Asirwatham, Government Relations Director, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, said:

“By updating existing immigration law, we can create a path to citizenship for millions of our neighbors without legal status. This slight change would be an important step toward President Biden’s promise for just immigration reform. Creating a pathway to citizenship is about affirming the human dignity of our undocumented siblings. We urge Congress to make use of this tremendous opportunity and pass H.R.8433.”

Mary J. Novak, Executive Director, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, said:

“Catholics know our treatment of our immigrant siblings has moral consequences. That our country’s broken immigration system has left so many millions of people in the shadows for decades is an indictment of our national priorities. We call on people of good will across the country, especially our elected officials, to come together to support H.R.8433.”

###

NETWORK – advocates for justice inspired by Catholic Sisters – educates, organizes, and lobbies for economic and social transformation. With a 50-year record of accomplishment and more than 100,000 supporters across the country, NETWORK lobbies for federal programs and policies that support those at the margins and prioritize the common good. www.networklobby.org