Time to fix broken immigration system, Paynter insists

It’s time to explore new strategies to fix the nation’s broken immigration system, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Executive Coordinator Suzii Paynter told a group of religion writers.

“If we do the same thing we’ve done before that hasn’t worked for six times in a row, we’re probably not going to get a response from that,” Paynter said. “But if we begin to look at new strategies … some of the (immigration) problems can be addressed.”

The influx of unaccompanied child immigrants early this summer again focused attention on immigration policy reform. (Wikipedia Image) Paynter participated in a panel discussion on religion and immigration at Emory University Law School in Atlanta in conjunction with the annual conference of the Religion Newswriters Association.

Paynter—former director of Texas Baptists’ Christian Life Commission—emphasized personal contact with elected officials by clergy, business leaders and constituents is key to a successful strategy for immigration reform.

“There’s nothing like the story from your district to help your (representative) see the need for change. Mobilizing large demonstrations have their place. But one thing that helps a lawmaker move toward solution politics instead of rhetoric politics is to look at the ways an issue like this is affecting their community,” she said.

Sharing individual stories with individual lawmakers to advocate for a specific policy is “one of the key aspects that can make a difference” in the immigration debate, Paynter said. She stressed the need for government to focus on fixing the “legal immigration system” in its current form, noting much of the immigration debate is centered on illegal immigration.

“If it takes six years for someone who is in line to get a green card or 17 years for someone to reunite with their family, you are creating an incentive to get around the system.”

Address issues separately

She suggested addressing immigration issues separately rather than as a larger, comprehensive package might prove to be a more successful approach toward achieving reform. Paynter noted the term “comprehensive” in the debates over immigration reform has become a “tag word” for a particular type of reform.

Paynter highlighted the focus of faith leaders on shared principles such as family reunification and border security as a proven and effective way to build a coalition in support of immigration reform.

President Obama (center) met with, clockwise from the left, Luis Cortes, Noel Castellanos, JoAnne Lyon, Russell Moore, Suzii Paynter and Dieter Uchtdorf in the Oval Office of the White House April 15 in Washington, DC. (Photo / Evangelical Immigration Table)“There has been a very concerted effort to bring evangelicals together in a very intentional and now long-term coalition called the Evangelical Immigration Table. The way in which that has been accomplished has been in true coalition form, not asking people to give up all their platforms, but asking people to work together around (shared) principles,” she said.

The Evangelical Immigration Table, a broad coalition of evangelical organizations and leaders advocating for immigration reform consistent with biblical values, has called for a bipartisan solution on immigration that respects the God-given dignity of every person, protects the unity of the immediate family and respects the rule of law. The group advocates for secure national borders, fairness to taxpayers and a path toward legal status and/or citizenship for those who qualify and who wish to become permanent residents.

The power of scripture

Discussing these principles shared among evangelicals, Paynter pointed to the power of Scripture in immigration debates.

“You don’t have to draw an indirect line between the issue of immigration and the biblical text. It’s explicit. It’s explicit in the Old Testament, and it’s explicit in the New Testament,” she said.

At the congregational level, churches have been providing many services and ministries to immigrants in their communities, such as English-as-a-Second Language and citizenship classes, Paynter said. She added the response of the religious community toward the plight of the unaccompanied children at the U.S.-Mexico border has been one of “solidarity and care.”

However, Paynter pointed to the desperate need for individuals to be trained as accredited representatives with the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals, to advocate for and assist immigrants in navigating the complexities of the immigration system.

The United States and its communities have been deeply enriched by the presence of immigrants, Paynter said.

Immersed in many cultures

“Our (evangelical) community has been immersed in a beautiful engagement with immigrant brothers and sisters of faith. … The evangelical community is more diverse today because of immigration to our country. We’ve been immersed with many cultures—seeing that has brought the evangelical community to this point,” she said.

Other panelists included Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials; Robert P. Jones, CEO of Public Religion Research Institute; Teresa Fry Brown, professor of homiletics and director of Black Church Studies at Emory’s Candler School of Theology; and Merle Black, professor of politics and government at Emory. John Blake of CNN moderated the discussion.

In April, Paynter was among a small group of faith leaders who met in the Oval Office to speak with President Barack Obama about the efforts of the religious community to support immigration reform. At the meeting, Paynter and the other faith leaders shared with the president stories about the impact the failure to fix the immigration system has on families in their congregations and communities.

Last year, Paynter participated in a panel discussion at an immigration conference at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas. During the July 2013 event, Paynter joined faith and business leaders as well as President Bush in speaking in favor of immigration reform. Paynter discussed the ways immigrants contribute to the United States through service in their congregations, emphasizing the important role of immigrants in the biblical story.