Statement by Bishops of The United Methodist Church on news that President Obama will take up immigration reform in 2009

We join other religious leaders in thanking President Obama for placing immigration reform on his political agenda for 2009. As United Methodists we believe that immigration is a human rights issue that needs serious attention. We stand firmly in believing that the inherent value of all immigrants means that all of their civil liberties should be respected and maintained regardless of their legal status. We believe, however, that our present immigration policies violate these basic rights.

We encourage President Obama to work for comprehensive immigration reform that would…

.Provide a pathway to citizenship for immigrants;
.Reunify immigrant families that have been separated by immigration itself or due to work place raids and ensuing indefinite detentions and deportations;
.Increase the number of visas for short-term workers to come into the United States to work in a safe, legal, and orderly way.
.Extend legal protection to all workers who come to stay for a certain period of time as well as for those who stay permanently including the right to bargain for higher wages, to protest against poor working conditions, and to preserve their human rights as workers, be they documented or undocumented;
.Eliminate privately-operated detention centers, which are not regulated by the federal or state governments, and end all indiscriminate raids.

We stand ready to assist President Obama in this mighty work of comprehensive immigration reform that would truly serve the common good.


Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño
Bishop of the Phoenix Area
of The United Methodist Church
and Chair of the United Methodist
Task Force on Immigration

Bishop Gregory Palmer
President of the Council of Bishops
of The United Methodist Church
and Bishop of the Illinois Area

Bishop Kenneth L. Carder
Professor of the Practice of Christian
Ministry Duke Divinity School

Bishop Jane Allen Middleton
Bishop of the Harrisburg Area
of The United Methodist Church

Bishop Elaine J.W. Stanovsky
Bishop of the Denver Area
of The United Methodist Church

Bishop Judith Craig,
Retired
The United Methodist Church

Bishop Hope Morgan Ward
Bishop of the Mississippi Area
of The United Methodist Church

Bishop Joe A. Wilson,
Retired
The United Methodist Church

Bishop Roy I. Sano,
Retired
The United Methodist Church

Bishop Peter D. Weaver
Bishop of the Boston Area
of The United Methodist Church

Bishop C. Joseph Sprague,
Retired
The United Methodist Church

Bishop George W. Bashore,
Retired
The United Methodist Church

Bishop Elías G. Galván,
Retired
The United Methodist Church

Bishop Joel N. Martinez,
Retired
The United Methodist Church

Bishop S. Clifton Ives,
Retired
The United Methodist Church

Bishop Robert T. Hoshibata
Bishop of the Portland Area
of The United Methodist Church

Bishop Susan Murch Morrison,
Retired
The United Methodist Church

Bishop Richard J. Wills, Jr.
Bishop of the Nashville Area
of The United Methodist Church

Bishop William Boyd Grove,
Retired
The United Methodist Church

Bishop Jesse R. DeWitt,
Retired
The United Methodist Church

Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar
Bishop of the New Jersey Area
of The United Methodist Church

Bishop Felton Edwin May,
Retired
The United Methodist Church

Bishop Julius C. Trimble
Bishop of the Iowa Area
of The United Methodist Church

Bishop Sharon Zimmerman Rader,
Retired
The United Methodist Church

Bishop Warner H. Brown, Jr.
Bishop of the San Francisco Area
of The United Methodist Church

Bishop Grant Hagiya
Bishop of the Seattle Area
of The United Methodist Church

Bishop Jeremiah Park
Bishop of the New York Area
of The United Methodist Church

Bishop Marshall L. Meadors, Jr.,
Retired
The United Methodist Church