FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | July 1, 2005

The White Ribbon Campaign

An Open Letter In Support Of A Thoughtful, Constructive, and Respectful Debate on Immigration Reform

(San Francisco, CA, July 1, 2005) — The undersigned individuals and organizations, who hold a variety of views on the policy issues in the nation's immigration reform debate, believe that:

• The United States is a nation of immigrants, and the role of immigrants throughout our history, in our present-day life, and into our future is worthy of respect.
• Even as we honor our immigrant heritage, most Americans acknowledge that the nation's immigration system is broken and badly in need of reform.
• The most eloquent and tragic testimony to the need for reform is the alarming number of deaths at the U.S.-Mexico border, which exceeds an average of one per day.
• Most Americans recognize that migrants risk their lives - and too often lose them - so that they may work and contribute to the United States and to the well-being of their families.
• The security interests of the United States offer a strong incentive to adopt well-functioning immigration reforms so that the nation's immigration system is safe, orderly, humane, and fair. Our immigration system must allow the government to thoroughly screen people entering the U.S. and to enforce reasonable immigration laws, while treating all migrants with dignity, fairness, and respect.
• Americans have a moral imperative to engage in an immigration reform debate that moves us toward policy changes that effectively address these challenges.
• Tactics like intimidation, violence, threats, and the spread of fear, hatred, and divisiveness are not conducive to the kind of rational, reflective debate that will produce solutions to these complex problems.
• Americans of good will deplore these tactics in all forms, including the actions of individuals, commentators on the airwaves, and elected officials seeking to exploit community tensions.

Many Americans of good faith who hold a variety of policy views on immigration have begun to wear white ribbons as a call for prayer, reflection, and dialogue on this issue.

The White Ribbon Campaign is a demonstration of the values we share and our desire for constructive and thoughtful discussion to advance the immigration debate in a way that strengthens our country, rejects fear and hate, and helps Americans arrive at solutions to these complex problems.

Signed,

To sign on: signon@whiteribbon.org