Three
hundred and fifty years ago, the first Jewish immigrants arrived in
America seeking freedom and opportunity. While initially facing
hostility and deportation, these 23 Jews from Brazil established what
has become one of the strongest Jewish communities in history. Today
the American Jewish community includes both native-born American Jews
and foreign-born Jews from Russia and other former Soviet states,
Argentina, South Africa, Australia, Iran, Israel and many other
countries around the world. These new Jewish refugees and immigrants
came to the United States seeking freedom from persecution and
opportunities for religious liberty, as well as to receive education at
universities and yeshivas, reunite with family members and assume
religious and other professional occupations. Jewish immigrants
benefited from these freedoms and opportunities, and, in the process,
made contributions to American society – economically, politically,
culturally, and in many other ways – far beyond their numbers.

Jewish religious and ethical values provide a firm foundation
for Jewish involvement in immigration and refugee policy. Central
Jewish teachings emphasize protection of the stranger, as seen in the
over 36 references to this principle within the Torah, including: “When
strangers sojourn with you in your land, you shall not do them wrong.
The strangers who sojourn with you shall be to you as the natives among
you, and you shall love them as yourself; for you were strangers in the
land of Egypt" (Leviticus 19:33-34). Jewish tradition also includes
principles of Piddyon Shevuyim (redeeming the captive), Chesed
(kindness), and Hachnasat Orchim (hospitality) that create a solid
framework for a compassionate response to the needs of immigrants and
refugees.

Based on these core values, and recognizing that other immigrants
would also benefit from, and be of benefit to, American society, the
Jewish community has – over the 350-years history of its presence on
American shores – been actively engaged in the struggles of new
immigrants and in the development of the nation’s immigration policy.
From the 1880s to early 1920s, the Jewish community strongly opposed
efforts to curtail immigration and institute a national origin quota
system. The community’s opposition continued after these harmful
principles were included in the immigration acts of 1921 and 1924 –
with devastating effects during the Holocaust – and until these quotas
were eliminated in 1965. The Jewish community championed the cause of
refugees following World War II, and advocated for the Refugee Act of
1980 that created today’s refugee resettlement system. Additionally, in
recent years many Jewish organizations worked to restore due process
protections and access to public benefits that were eliminated for
legal immigrants in draconian legislation enacted in 1996.

In the period since the attacks of September 11, 2001, many in the
Jewish community and the broader American public have reviewed the
nation’s immigration and refugee policies. Immigration restrictionists
have put forth scenarios that blame immigrants for the nation’s ills
and attempt to conflate immigration with terrorism. Concern for
national security is not inconsistent with fair immigration policies.
To the contrary, intelligent immigration reform can and should play an
important role in enhancing national security. This balanced approach
avoids the false conclusion that immigration is a danger to our country
– a conclusion that would undermine fundamental Jewish community
interests including security concerns, religious and ethical values,
positive community relations and access to the United States for Jews
from around the world – while acknowledging the prominent role that
national security must play in national policies in these difficult
times.

In light of these important Jewish interests, the undersigned agencies
encourage a thoughtful and serious discussion of immigration and
refugee protection issues within the Jewish and American public and
action by the U.S. government to develop policies that are consistent
with the following principles:

Immigration
– Sensible and generous immigration policies serve essential American
interests including economic and social development, family
reunification, and humanitarian values. These interests should be the
basis for decisions relating to levels of immigration and categories of
migrants permitted to seek admission and obtain permanent residence and
citizenship in the United States. Segments of the American population
have greeted each new immigrant group with distrust and concern, but
immigrants have over time integrated into the society and made
important contributions to America. Learning from the past, the United
States should not establish limitations on immigration because of
exaggerated fears that today’s immigrants will not become productive
and patriotic Americans.

Enforcement and Security – Because the United
States faces serious threats from terrorists and dangerous criminals
intent on misusing the American immigration system, improved border
security, visa reform, and interior immigration enforcement are
important national goals. Changes to rules governing entry into the
United States; issuance of visas at consulates abroad; intelligence
sharing; investigation, detention and removal of migrants; tracking of
foreign nationals; as well as other aspects of immigration enforcement
should focus on those who wish to do us harm and not be based on the
mistaken belief that all problems with the immigration system are part
of a generalized terrorist threat. Security reviews are essential, but
can be done effectively without creating unreasonable delays for
applicants waiting to receive immigration benefits. Additionally, all
individuals seeking admission should be afforded a meaningful appeals
process if they are mistakenly identified as a threat under enhanced
screening procedures. Protection of privacy, due process and other
civil liberties should be integrated into immigration enforcement
policies and procedures.

Refugees – It is in our national interest that
refugees fleeing persecution continue to look to the United States as a
champion of refugee protection. The United States should develop
effective programs to assist and protect refugees in locations around
the world, such as the Sudanese refugees in Chad who fled genocide in
their homeland. The U.S. should also provide generous access to
resettlement for refugees in need of this durable solution, including
Jews from the former Soviet Union and Iran; and should offer
compassionate and fair asylum policies that recognize the particular
vulnerabilities of refugees who enter the United States seeking safe
haven from persecution. Victims of gender violence, children,
persecuted religious minorities and other particularly vulnerable
migrants should receive special attention and protection by the United
States.

Comprehensive Immigration Reform – The existence of
a population of approximately eight to twelve million undocumented
migrants residing in this country is unacceptable, as are the hundreds
of thousands more facing death and discrimination as they enter
illegally each year seeking employment. Also unacceptable are the
massive backlogs of immigrants waiting to be reunited with close family
members, and immigration and labor law enforcement that has not served
either to restrict undocumented migration, or to protect migrants. The
“enforcement-only” approach of recent years has failed. Moreover, a
massive effort to try to “close the border” and expel all undocumented
migrants would be extremely costly and cause enormous social and
economic disruption. In light of these facts, the best hope to prevent
future undocumented migration would be an approach that is
comprehensive and realistically related to economic realities. This
plan should promote legal and orderly migration, provide a path to
citizenship for undocumented migrants, improve immigration and labor
law enforcement, and create new migration programs that will serve
America’s security, social, economic and humanitarian interests. As
this comprehensive plan is developed and implemented, the government
should consider addressing the immediate and special needs of specific
populations such as students, farm workers and others.

Public Benefits and Due Process Restoration
– The harmful restrictions on access to public benefits and on the due
process rights of legal immigrants – enacted as part of several pieces
of legislation passed in 1996 – should be eliminated or significantly
modified. The United States benefits from immigrants’ and their
children’s economic and social contributions and should not
discriminate against these immigrants if they fall on economic hard
times. Additionally, principles of proportionate punishment, reasonable
use of detention and access to parole, judicial review and waiver
authority to permit judges to ensure equitable results during removal
cases should once again be applied to legal immigrants.

Immigration Services – As a nation of immigrants,
the United States should ensure that all applications for immigration
benefits be handled in a timely and consistent manner, and that the
massive backlogs that have long plagued the system be eliminated.
Immigrants, and their American families and employers, should receive
the highest level of customer service from immigration authorities.
Additionally, the immigration functions of the United States government
must receive appropriate funding levels justified by such an important
national priority.

Citizenship – The United States must augment its
immigration policies with enhanced programs to ensure the full
integration of newcomers. The naturalization process should
meaningfully promote civic education and civic values and take into
account the special needs of immigrants with lower educational levels,
the elderly and the disabled. The government should offer assistance to
immigrant communities and other knowledgeable private sector agencies
to provide high quality job training, English language instruction and
other services to prospective citizens. Through such changes these
immigrants and refugees will be able to receive the assistance they
need to secure the rights and responsibilities of American citizenship
and to fully participate in the civic life of their new homeland.

NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:

Agudath Israel of America

American Association of Jews from Former USSR

American Jewish Committee

Anti-Defamation League

Association of Jewish Family and Children's Agencies

B'nai B'rith International

Bukharian Jewish Congress of USA and Canada

Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society
International Association of Jewish Vocational Services

Jewish Council for Public Affairs

Jewish Labor Committee

National Council of Jewish Women

Union for Reform Judaism

Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America

United Jewish Communities

Workmen's Circle/ Arbeter Ring

LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS:

Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of San Antonio

Fort Wayne Jewish Federation

HIAS and Council Migration Service of Philadelphia

Jewish Community Board of Akron

Jewish Community Council of Metropolitan Detroit
Jewish Community Relations Council of Des Moines
Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Miami
Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington
Jewish Community Relations Council of Southern Arizona
Jewish Community Relations Council of Southern New Jersey
Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis
Jewish Community Relations Council of Los Angeles

Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas

Jewish Council on Urban Affairs in Chicago

Jewish Employment and Vocational Service of Philadelphia

Jewish Family and Children's Services of Minneapolis Jewish Family and
Children's Services of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma
Counties Jewish Family and Children's Services of St. Louis
Jewish Family Service Agency of Cleveland
Jewish Family Services of Buffalo

Jewish Family Services of Metropolitan Detroit
Jewish Family Services of Southern New Jersey
Jewish Family Services of Toledo
Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts
Jewish Federation of Greater Buffalo
Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines
Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles
Jewish Federation of Greater Miami Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County
Jewish Federation of Greater Monmouth County
Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven
Jewish Federation of Greater Rockford
Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle
Jewish Federation of Lehigh Valley
Jewish Federation of Nashville
Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey
Jewish Federation of St. Joseph's Valley
Jewish Federation of the Berkshires Jewish Vocational Service of Minneapolis

Madison Jewish Community Council

Ohio Jewish Communities UJA-Federation of New York United Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo

Youngstown Area Jewish Federation