Policy & Advocacy
Immigration Reform Backgrounder, February 2013
Immigration Reform Backgrounder, February 2013
The United States is home to an estimated 11.2 million undocumented immigrants who labor in agriculture, service, and construction yet face exploitation and discrimination. Since 1998, border enforcement spending—nearly $150 billion—has tripled the Border Patrol and added 700 miles of fencing, yet the undocumented population has grown by 50 percent and annual desert deaths have tripled. A more comprehensive, humane approach is urgently needed.
Legislative Background
After strong Hispanic and Asian support in the 2012 elections, immigration reform has become central to national debate. In January 2013, eight bipartisan senators unveiled a framework including a path to citizenship, and President Obama released his own plan. The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to review legislation in March–April, with full Senate action in May–June, followed by House consideration.
USCCB Principles for Comprehensive Reform
- Broad-based legalization and earned path to citizenship requiring work, English proficiency, and fines
- Future worker program guaranteeing legal entry, living wages, workplace protections, and family unity
- Expansion of family-based visas and reduced waits to promote reunification
- Restoration of due process by repealing three- and ten-year bars and reinstating judicial discretion
- Addressing root causes through development aid, trade policies, and debt relief in sending countries
- Targeted, proportional, and humane enforcement focused on smugglers, traffickers, and security threats
Special protections for refugees, asylum-seekers, and unaccompanied minors, including lifting asylum deadlines
Action Steps
- Contact your senators and representatives to urge support for a reform bill aligned with these principles
- Visit the Justice for Immigrants campaign at for resources and updates
Parishes can support reform by hosting educational forums, sharing testimonials from immigrant families, and incorporating the bishops’ pastoral letter Strangers No Longer into study groups. Monitoring the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings and coordinating with local advocacy networks will amplify faith-based voices in shaping humane immigration policy.