This August, tell your Members of Congress in person that peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians need to be founded on justice.

This August, tell your Members of Congress in person that peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians need to be founded on justice.

In recent days, there has been a lot of attention on the launch of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. While many have lauded this development, core concerns will need to be addressed in order for there to be a just and sustainable resolution of the conflict. Without these foundations of justice, negotiations could be used as a pretense for ignoring ongoing injustices.

Reports indicate, for example, that Israel is set to approve as many as several thousand housing units over the coming months in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In late June, the Israeli Knesset (parliament) began consideration of the Prawer Plan, which would expel more than 30,000 Palestinian Bedouins from the Negev desert region and confiscate much of their land.

These kinds of actions work directly against a vision of sustainable and just peace. Rather than seeing this as inevitable, the U.S. government would do well to heed the action taken by the European Union which announced in mid-July that member nations would not do business with Israeli entities in the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem.

If the U.S. were to follow suit, it would send a clear signal that the settlements are illegal and are not to be used as a negotiating tactic against the Palestinians. A just resolution of the conflict will require:
* A commitment to respect human rights;
* An end to the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem;
* A shared Jerusalem;
* An end to discriminatory confiscation and distribution of land and water resources and the dismantling of the illegal separation   wall; and
* Justice and security for Palestinian refugees.

The prophet Jeremiah decried those who say "'peace, peace, when there is no peace" (6:14). The biblical vision of peace rests on the solid foundation of justice and right relationships. Indeed, Jeremiah urges the people to seek "the good way": "Thus says the Lord: Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls" (6:16).

To see that peace is founded on a solid foundation of justice and right relationships, the 216th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) affirmed:

The security of Israel is inexorably dependent on making peace with their Palestinian neighbors, by negotiating and reaching a just and equitable resolution to the conflict that respects international law, human rights, the sanctity of life, and dignity of persons, land property, safety of home, freedom of movement, the rights of refugees to return to their homeland, the right of people to determine their political future, and to live in peace and prosperity.

Meet with your members to ensure that the rights of all Israelis and Palestinians will be protected to achieve true and lasting peace!

The August recess (August 5 through September 6) is a great time to visit local offices of your representative and senators. They need to hear from you and other constituents that you strongly support peace between Israelis and Palestinians, but that this peace must be based on a foundation of justice.

Tips for making in-district visits

Join a letter-drop off campaign for immigration reform!

During the month of August, Representatives will be in their home districts. This is a great opportunity to have your voices heard!

And August is not the only time to join this letter-drop campaign.  Feel free to use this resource throughout the fall and winter – until we get real, compassionate, and comprehensive immigration reform!

Now is the time for the House Representatives to act and pass legislation that meets the foundations of a just reform set out by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The actions by people of faith have and will continue to be influential in the legislative process. Enclosed is a letter that you can use to join this movement for justice. We hope that you will personalize the letter, have members of your congregation sign it, and then personally drop it off to your Representative’s district office.   You can also view the text of the letter on our blog.

Here are some basic steps on how you can use the letter:

1.      Go to the letter blog post and copy and paste the text.  Personalize the letter to reflect the contributions of immigrants in your local community and congregation. You can describe any programs or activities that uplift the immigrant experience.

2.       Check with your pastor and choose the best day to have it in a high-traffic area in the church so that members can sign it.  Think coffee hour.

3.      Find out who your Representative is at: http://capwiz.com/pcusa/dbq/officials/ Look on their website and find the nearest office. Before you go to drop it off call and make sure the office will be open!

4.       Before the sign on day for the congregation, have those who you know are interested or engaged (including your Pastor and Session members) sign the letter. People will be more likely to sign something when they see other people have signed it!

5.       Make sure an announcement is made about the letter in the bulletin, from the pulpit, and through social media outlets that your church uses to communicate with members. Invite folks to sign the letter!

6.       When you get to the office here is a possible script:

"Hi, my name is                                         and I am a member of                                  Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) and many of our members signed this letter urging Representative                                      to support immigration reform with these principles and to see that reform pass soon!"

7.       Email us (ga_washington_office@pcusa.org) and let us know you dropped off your letter!! Take a picture of you delivering the letter (it’d be great if you can get one with your Representative!) and email it to us so that we can share it.

8.     When you (the point person for the letter) receive a reply from your Representative please share that with us as well!

Please let us know if you have any questions or if you need more support in becoming engaged. Let us know what you are doing for immigration reform and make sure to connect with us via FaceBook and our blog to receive updates. Email Melissa Davis in the Office of Immigration Issues (Melissa.davis@pcusa.org) to join her immigration issues listserv. Now is the time to be involved! Let’s stand together and in solidarity with those directly suffering the consequences of our unjust immigration policies. Now is the time for reform!

Background:

On July 10th, House Leadership held a meeting to discuss the issue of immigration reform. Immigrant families, advocates, and people of faith took this opportunity to march to Republican headquarters in D.C. and demand that Representatives take action on a just and compassionate immigration reform. Shortly after the strategy meeting, House Leadership issued a statement confirming that the House would not consider the Senate’s immigration legislation, but rather would continue to pursue a piece-meal approach. So far, however, the five bills that have been introduced in the House undermine workers’ rights and community safety, increase the number of people in indefinite detention, increase the likelihood that workers will be exploited, continue the unnecessary militarization of our Southern border, and increase the separation of families. None provide a reasonable path to citizenship, increase both American and immigrant worker protections, provide for family reunification, or provide a path for future migration.

We are at a pivotal moment in the movement for immigration reform. As people of faith, we must take action to prevent the relegation of millions to a second-class status, criminalization, and oppression. We cannot simply watch as our brothers and sisters are unjustly detained for prolonged periods of time, especially when that detention benefits corporate owners of private detention facilities, or watch as families are torn apart, emotionally and physically, impacting the health of our children and our communities. The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has called on Presbyterians to participate in faithful action and to stand in solidarity with those whose lives are directly impacted by our immigration policies. As people of faith we are often reminded that when one part of the body suffers, all suffer with it. Join the 220th General Assembly (2012) and urge your Representative to support comprehensive, compassionate immigration reform.

Congregational Letter on Immigration Reform

Presbyterians are invited to use the following letter as a Congregational witness for just, compassionate, comprehensive immigration reform.  Check out this blog post for instructions.

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Congregational Letter to Congress:

[Name of Point Person]
[Return Address of Point Person]
[City, State, ZIP]

Dear Representative: 

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) has long called for the reform of our broken immigration system. Presbyterians around the country have advocated for just and humane immigration reform and this work has been rooted in the beliefs that all people are made in the image of God and that God calls us to welcome and love our neighbors. As people of faith, we are committed to speak out on our call to serve all those in need and to stand with the oppressed still today.

As such, we believe that it is time for a just and compassionate immigration reform that reflects the principles drafted by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). We urge Representative [enter name here] to support reform that reflects the following:

•   Provides a reasonable and inclusive path to citizenship without punitive costs, long waiting periods, or other irksome conditions for immigrants living in the U.S. 

•   Preserves family unity by ensuring that we avoid the separation of families, revising visa preferences and caps, and eliminating visa backlogs. 

•   Enacts border policies consistent with humanitarian values and with the need to treat all individuals with respect. Specifically, we are gravely concerned about the negative impact of the building of walls designed to move migrants to more dangerous parts of the border, the increased number of federal agents, and the deployments of armed National Guards to an already volatile region.

•   Requires humane enforcement procedures that reduce human smuggling and migrant deaths, and that aim to eliminate human and civil rights abuses.  Such measures should include abolishing enforcement programs such as Operation Streamline and arrangements that involve local agencies in the enforcement of immigration laws, such as “287(g)” agreements and the Secure Communities program.  These programs lack oversight and transparency and have led to racial profiling, undermining the stability of communities and trust of law enforcement. 

•   Facilitates integration of immigrants into our communities by celebrating the culture and languages of their homelands, by providing civics education and legal assistance to regularize their status, and by providing access to all social services.

•   Eliminates lengthy detentions, except for those accused of dangerous crimes, strengthens due process protections at every stage of the system, and establish and stringently enforce minimum standards of care in all detention facilities.

•   Enacts enforceable detention reforms, including rigorous medical treatment standards and increased access to pastoral care, legal counsel, and legal orientation programs.  Such reforms should also include the release of individuals who pose no risk to the community and expand use of community-based alternatives to detention that are more humane and cost-effective.

•   Protects all workers from exploitation, abuse, and affronts to their dignity by enforcing labor and employment laws that provide fair wages, and the right to organize and seek redress for grievances. 

•   Provides safe, legal, and realistic paths for future migration, consistent with the needs of the U.S. economy without undercutting the employment of anyone already working in the U.S., allow new migrants to bring their families with them and allow them the freedom to change places of employment.

•   Pass legislation comparable to the DREAM Act that provides a pathway to citizenship for eligible students. 

Our prayer is that the House of Representatives will support these values and move quickly to see that just and compassionate reform is passed.

Thank you for your service to our district.

Sincerely,

List of Signatories and their addresses