Twenty years ago US and Mexican bishops called for immigration reform. It still hasn't happened.
BY J. KEVIN APPLEBY
On Jan. 22, 2003, the U.S. and Mexican bishops issued a historic pastoral letter on migration. Titled "Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope," the letter responded to the "signs of the times" — increased levels of immigration from Mexico and Central America to the United States.
The letter, the first of its kind between two episcopal conferences, called for a major overhaul of the U.S. and Mexican immigration systems. Among the letter's policy recommendations was the adoption, in both countries, of a path to citizenship for the undocumented.
Twenty years later, reform of the U.S. immigration system remains stalled in Congress, despite ongoing pleas from advocates and a Democratic administration. And it is unlikely to happen anytime soon, as the divide between Democrats and Republicans on the issue has only widened.
Why the lack of progress? There are a multitude of reasons which can be summed up in one term: political will. For various reasons, an insufficient number of our elected officials have shown the leadership and statesmanship to get such a controversial issue across the finish line.
https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/guest-voices/twenty-years-ago-us-and-mexican-bishops-called-immigration-reform-it-still
