Topic #2: Immigration

Please consider the following potential leading questions

#1: What is your perception of the adequacy, or inadequacy, of current federal immigration law?

#2: Within the context of current federal immigration law, how can citizens and various non-governmental organizations support and provide assistance to the immigrant community?

#3: Given the tension that can sometimes exist between the biblical call to “respect and abide by the law” and the biblical call to show “mercy and grace” and practice justice, especially toward the marginalized and vulnerable, how should Christians relate to immigrants who are living in the USA illegally?  

#4: If you perceive inadequacies in current federal immigration law, what changes would you propose?

#5: Under the changes you may propose, what do you see as the appropriate role of citizens and non-governmental-organizations?

#6: If you judge that comprehensive reform of immigration law is not politically feasible at this time, what “piecemeal” changes do you think are desirable and politically feasible? In particular, can you envision changes that would make immigration law more “family friendly” (keeping families together), that would lead to a strong “guest worker” program, or that could provide a path to “legal status,” if not citizenship, for illegal immigrants?

#7: To what extent, if any, should the various states be allowed to legislate immigration laws, and what should be the relationship of such state laws to federal immigration laws?