Breaking News from the Hispanic Church

NHCLC Leadership, RNHA and Coalition on Immigration meet with Senator Frist and Speaker of The House Dennis Hastert on Comprehensive Immigration Reform

March 2006 – National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference Executives joined Dr. Pedro Celis, Chairman of The Republican National Hispanic Assembly and members of the Hispanic Coalition on Comprehensive Immigration Reform in meetings with members of Congress including the Senate Majority Leaders, Sen. Bill First and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert. "We want an end to all illegal immigration and we also need to protect our border. Yet, we must do this within the framework of the Nations value system.

A guest worker program that will bring these undocumented individuals out of the shadows will protect our security and these immigrant families", stated Dr. Gilbert Velez, Policy Director of The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. Rev. Sam Rodriguez, President of the NHCLC joined other clergy and community leaders in meetings with Sen. John Cornyn, Rep. Henry Bonilla, Rep. Lincoln Diaz Balart, Delegate Luis Fortuño and Rep. Henry Bonilla. "Anything less than Comprehensive reform will be detrimental to the Hispanic Community. We must protect our borders, stop all illegal immigration and provide a viable guest worker program that is not amnesty but rather a practical solution to a very serious problem. ", stated Rodriguez. Pastors of some of America's largest churches joined the meeting in an unprecedented show of solidarity on behalf of the Hispanic Evangelical church.

Hispanic Christian Leaders are responding to the recent legislation passed by the House of Representatives that would in essence deport the 11.5 million undocumented immigrants and create punitive consequences for faith based organizations that assist any undocumented individual.