The
recent immigration raids in New Bedford, Mass., where nearly 200
children were left stranded when their parents, who otherwise were
lawful workers, were arrested and shipped off to detention centers in
Texas and other distant states reinforce the essential failure of
America's immigration policies.

With the introduction in the U.S. House of Representatives on March
22 of the bipartisan STRIVE Act – Security Through Regularized
Immigration and a Vibrant Economy – Congress again is attempting to
confront the tragic reality that our immigration system is broken and
provides neither respect for rule of law nor humane treatment of
immigrant workers and families; and that we are undermining the
fundamental civic and religious values that Americans cherish.

The STRIVE Act and similar efforts over the past years seek to
address the complex issues surrounding the phenomenon of unauthorized
migration to the United States in a comprehensive, not piecemeal,
fashion.

To succeed we must create a smart, strong and humane border and
interior immigration enforcement system; a path to legal status and
citizenship for people after they meet fair and reasonable criteria;
new legal immigration options that protect both immigrant and
native-born workers; an end to unconscionable backlogs in the
immigration of the closest family members; and programs to promote
citizenship and the integration of newcomers into American civic
culture.

As we enter the Passover season, members of Congress and the general
public prepare to engage in the vitally important debate over the
future of our country's immigration policies. Essential guidance for
this debate comes from a core teaching of the annual retelling of the
story of Passover and the Exodus from Egypt – that we must treat "the
stranger," the resident alien or immigrant, with compassion and love.

It is through the constant reminder of Passover that we are taught
to internalize this lesson – one that is repeated throughout the Torah
and the Talmud – that we must "welcome the stranger," "not oppress the
stranger," "protect the stranger," "have one law for the stranger and
the citizen among you," all because "you were strangers in the land of
Egypt."

This lesson is most clearly articulated by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks,
Britain's chief rabbi, who has written, "Why should you not hate the
stranger? asks the Torah. Because you once stood where he stands now.
You know the heart of the stranger because you were once a stranger in
the land of Egypt…I [G-d] made you into the world's archetypal
strangers so that you would fight for the rights of strangers – for
your own and those others, wherever they are, whatever the colour of
their skin or the nature of their culture, because, though they are not
in your image – says G-d – they are nonetheless in Mine. There is only
one reply strong enough to answer the question: Why should I not hate
the stranger? Because the stranger is me."

A Jewish response to these problems addressed in the STRIVE Act
recognizes that there are certain to be some Jews among the
approximately 12 million undocumented immigrant residents in this
country. However, the values taught through the seder and from our
Jewish tradition and experience compel us to turn our hearts to the
spectrum of undocumented immigrants who fled poverty, corruption and
violence in Mexico, Central America and elsewhere around the world. We
see in these migrants a reflection of our own history, where many of
our ancestors came to this country seeking an opportunity to live in
America, the goldene medine (golden land), free from poverty and
deprivation, as well as pogroms and anti-Semitism.

In 1898, the Paris Council of the Jewish Colonization Society
traveled throughout the Pale of Settlement in Russia – in the midst of
a period of Jewish history that saw more than 1.25 million Jews
immigrate to the United States – and reported, "In Vilna, we saw
basements that were two floors underground: 5,000 families, that is
20,000 human beings, live in these lairs… Darkness filled the room, and
with the scorching sun outside, we had to light a candle to take in
this picture of disgust and desolation."

Understanding that many of our own ancestors escaped this kind of
poverty when they immigrated to America, we can appreciate that the
hardships of extreme poverty led suffering people to risk everything
for a chance at a future for themselves and their families.

We also remember that the Jewish Emigration Society, founded in Kiev
in 1909, reported in 1913, "75 percent of the emigrants [from Russia]
crossed the border illegally, assisted by clandestine emigration
'agents.' "

One need not, and should not, condone the practice of undocumented
migration, but can understand that desperate people take extreme
measures. Unlike the U.S. immigration system that existed before 1921,
when there were no visa limits for low-skilled immigrant workers,
today's migrants face an unreasonable annual quota of only 5,000 slots.
It is believed that upwards of 500,000 new undocumented migrants join
the shadow economy each year, demonstrating the dramatic disconnect
between available visas and jobs.

The failure by the United States to address the problems of
undocumented migration in a forthright and courageous manner has
resulted in massive security gaps where millions reside in the shadows
and do not receive criminal, health or terrorist screenings;
immigration and border enforcement resources are wasted chasing
otherwise law-abiding workers; smugglers and document forgers are
enriched; and respect for rule of law is undermined. At the same time,
millions of immigrants face exploitation in the workplace and hundreds
die each year from the treacherous conditions on the borders.

For Jews, this struggle to convert our current illegal immigration
system into a legal immigration system that serves our country's and
our community's security, social and economic interests and treats
immigrants with dignity, humanity and care, is an effort to fulfill the
finest teachings of our tradition and the lessons of our history as a
wandering people.

While the Torah is certainly not an immigration law manual, and
people of good will can differ on specific proposals such as the STRIVE
Act, our Jewish religious and ethical traditions are powerful guides on
how to confront difficult policy challenges. In this Passover season,
taking action to truly love the strangers in our midst and fix our
broken immigration system would be an act of both compassion and wisdom.

(Gideon Aronoff is the president and CEO of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.)