Set for Wed., July 12 in Washington

Hundreds
of national religious leaders will converge on Capitol Hill Wed., July
12, to discuss the impact of faith perspectives on the immigration
policy debate. “Faith and Migration: Diverse Perspectives from
Religious Leaders” will examine the bipartisan, religious grounds for
comprehensive immigration reform. Speakers include Senator Sam
Brownback of Kansas, Reverend Richard Land of the Southern Baptist
Convention, and Rabbi Steve Gutow, of the Jewish Council for Public
Affairs.

The conference continues the momentum
of a coalition of more than 200 faith-based leaders that produced the
“Interfaith Statement in Support of Comprehensive Immigration Reform.”
The co-signers of that statement, which was initially released in 2005,
“call attention to the moral dimensions of public policy and pursue
policies that uphold the human dignity of each person, all of whom are
made in the image of God.”

The statement can be found online at http://www.hias.org/News/Docs/SupportCompImmigrationReform.html.

“Finding
a bipartisan consensus on immigration reform has become particularly
pressing in recent weeks, as the House and Senate prepare to negotiate
the differences in their immigration legislation,” says Gideon Aronoff,
president and CEO of HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, which is a
key sponsor of the event. “Upcoming hearings across the country promise
to make the debate even more divisive. We are hopeful that a
faith-based perspective on immigration has the potential to unite
Americans behind comprehensive immigration reform.”

The
conference will be held at Jones Day, 51 Louisiana Ave NW, from 9 a.m.
to noon, followed by a luncheon at the United Methodist Building, 100
Maryland Ave. NE, from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Afternoon advocacy visits to
congressional offices will be followed by a community forum/round-table
from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Free registration is required to attend. Panelists
are available to meet with the press following the end of the
conference at noon.