NCJW Supports Humane Immigration Reform

April 30, 2006, New York, NY -- The Board of Directors of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) issued the following statement regarding immigration policy in the United States:

"From its very beginnings, the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) has worked to welcome new immigrants and to assist them as they resettled in the United States. Many of our own parents and grandparents were among those women and men who took great risks to seek a better future for themselves and their children. Today, approximately 11 million immigrants, following that same dream, live and work in the United States without the benefit of legal status. They contribute to the economy in virtually every city in this country.

"NCJW supports humane comprehensive immigration reform. To that end, we strongly oppose the House-passed immigration bill which would inflict severe penalties on undocumented immigrants and criminalize assistance provided to them by religious and other social service groups. Legislation should provide opportunities for hard-working undocumented immigrants to earn legal status and eventually citizenship. It should significantly reduce the unreasonable waiting times that keep immigrant families apart and should establish humane border protection policies, emphasizing the need to identify and bar the entry of terrorists and dangerous criminals.

"NCJW stands in proud solidarity with the millions of immigrants and others across the US who are rallying in support of just immigration policies. We urge Congress to heed our voices and honor our history as a nation of immigrants."

NCJW is a volunteer organization, inspired by Jewish values, that works to improve the quality of life for women, children, and families and to ensure individual rights and freedoms for all through its network of 90,000 members, supporters, and volunteers nationwide.

Contact:
Vanessa Schnaidt
212 645 4048 x179; vschnaidt@ncjw.org