Open Letter to Evangelicals on Immigration Reform

Dear Evangelical Leaders:

• We believe the differences between the Hispanic Evangelical Church and non Hispanic Evangelical brethren on the issue of immigration is not based on racism, discrimination or xenophobia, but rather on sincere and honest disagreement on the application of the rule of law and how to best protect our blessed nation.
• Our concern with the Pew Study results on the number of White Evangelicals in respect to their viewing immigrants as a burden and those who consider immigrants as a threat to the culture, prompted my statement on how this issue must be addressed prior to our partnering together in the future. When interviewed in the Senate Press Room this past Wednesday, I clearly stated that I do not believe there is a schism in the Evangelical Church but rather a disagreement amongst brothers. I also stated our commitment to continue to work together in spite of these recent disagreements.
• Many non Hispanic Evangelical organizations and leaders have joined our effort in the past few weeks.
• World Relief, the relief and development arm of the National Association of Evangelicals lead the way in a call for Comprehensive reform. We are grateful for their leadership.
• We applaud the efforts of World Relief and the prudent and pragmatic approach taken by the NAE. Although many believed that the NAE could have released a more definitive statement, I believe NAE did the right thing. The NAE constituency is equally divided on this issue, and once again, the purpose of informing the constituency with all perspectives outweighed the need for a press release. We, the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, express our most sincere gratitude to Rev. Ted Haggard, Dr. Bill Hammel, Richard Cizik and Kyle Fisk for their collaboration and partnership on this issue. A copy of the Statement from The Chairman of the Board of The National Association of Evangelicals is available on our web site.
• Finally, out of all the voices calling for Comprehensive Reform, we have issued a call for legislation that is not amnesty, protects our borders, stops all illegal immigration and applies the rule of law in a matter consistent with a Biblical World view. We still believe the Hispanic Evangelical church presents a viable bridge between both sides of this issue.

In conclusion, let us partner to preserve our values, enrich our families and protect our borders.

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, Jr.
President, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference