4 posts categorized "Immigration"

Photo by Flickr user √oхέƒx™

[This blog post is an excerpt from an article written by Bread for the World board member Gabriel Salguero, president of that National Latino Evangelical Coalition. The full article is available on The Washington Post.]

It may come as a surprise to you to learn that Hispanic evangelicals are a key constituency in swing states. The Jan 31 Florida primary has hastened an all-out blitz for this group’s attention. What do Hispanic evangelicals want from a presidential candidate?

Since our coalition of Latino evangelicals launched a national voter registration campaign, I have fielded multiple interviews about this growing--and increasingly politically influential--demographic. As many have noted, historically, Hispanic evangelicals are social conservatives that simultaneously advocate for issues of justice for the most vulnerable. Anyone who ignores this reality, particularly in swing states like Nevada, Florida, Colorado, New Mexico and Ohio, has not understood this emerging and increasingly vocal group. As a group, we are quintessential independent voters.

In 2004, George W. Bush won the majority of Hispanic evangelicals and in 2008 Barack Obama won that vote by a slim majority. Now in 2012, politicians, pundits, and prognosticators want to know which way we will lean. I’d like to recommend a way forward.

Hispanic evangelicals are not a monolith. Moreover, it would be the height of hubris for anyone to claim to speak for the 10 million or so Latino evangelicals. I personally agree with David Neff of “Christianity Today” that we as evangelicals should resist the temptation to try to be kingmakers. There is much seduction in the “will to power” and we should run away as fast as they can from this temptation. Martin Luther King, Jr. was correct, when he wrote: “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, it must be the guide and critic of the state and never its tool”(Strength to Love, 1963). Hispanic evangelicals should simultaneously bring moral and public pressure to bear on behalf of legislation we feel is consonant with our conscience and convictions. Our community should work hard to develop our own national agenda that holds all candidates accountable. In short, we should shy away from endorsing candidates --while backing agendas that are consonant with our worldview.

So what are Hispanic evangelicals passionate about? In 2012, many Latinos in Pentecostal and evangelical congregations have divided allegiances. On the top of their mutual agendas is humane, common sense immigration reform. This is a moral and family values issue. We take “welcome the stranger and love your neighbor” seriously. We are looking for legislation that provides an earned path to citizenship and keeps families together. This type of legislation has been endorsed by presidents from Reagan to Obama and yet nothing has changed. Both parties have lacked the political will to make policy changes that will impact Latino families in profound ways. 

To say Latino evangelicals are disappointed by this inaction is a severe understatement. Moreover, the rhetoric by some GOP candidates to veto a DREAM Act or to not provide a path to earned citizenship for the 12 million illegal and undocumented immigrants is raising the ire of many Latino pastors. Our message to the GOP is to stop the anti-immigrant rhetoric. Meanwhile, this present administration’s spike in deportations has left us disillusioned with the left. In short, Hispanic evangelicals want real solutions now and they want both parties to be accountable.

On the social issues Latino evangelicals overwhelmingly hold to a pro-life and pro-marriage platform. This is no secret. Latino evangelicals have historically been social conservatives on the issues of marriage and what Catholics call a “seamless garment” of life. This means that many Latino evangelicals advocate for a broad agenda that protects children--both before birth and after. We are thoroughly concerned about the health of the most vulnerable.

While Hispanic evangelicals are for the most part social conservatives, they also value the power of good governance on behalf of the ones Jesus called, “the least of these.” Many Hispanic evangelicals, myself included, signed-on to the Circle of Protection to protect programs for the poorest and most vulnerable in our country. In addition, we realize that the global economic recession has displaced thousands of Latinos from homes in the foreclosure crisis. Latinos look for a government that understands that among the things the Constitution calls for is that the government “promote the general welfare.” This is at the heart of Latino evangelicals’ advocacy for anti-poverty programs at home and abroad, immigration reform, and educational equity. Pew researchers have said that Latino evangelicals are “big government social conservatives.” I would say we are people who seek the common good. ...

[Keep reading this article on The Washington Post.]

Gabriel Salguero is a board member at Bread for the World and president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition.

Want to stay up-to-date on all of your hunger news? While this isn't a comprehensive list, it's a good start. Here's a roundup of current news links on hunger issues from around the Web:

• "Should Food Stamp Nutrition Be Mandated?" by David Katz, M.D. The basic question is whether use of food assistance dollars should be restricted so as to preclude unhealthful food choices.

• "Obama Pushes Back on Immigration Policy Criticism from Latinos," by David Nakamura. President Obama pushes back Wednesday against criticism over his administration’s deportation policies for illegal immigrants.

• "The 'success' of Workfare When Jobs are Scarce," by Barbara Kiviat. As unemployment has sky-rocketed, and other social safety net program like SNAP (a.k.a. food stamps) have seen a surge in participation, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) has barely budged.

• "Can Policy Members 'Fix' the Banking System and Foster Economic Growth" by Stacy Kaper. The song lyric, “I want it all” evokes the American psyche and could be part of the reason why so much frustration and disappointment is associated with the nation’s financial services policy.

• "We Don’t Give Out Foreign Aid to Make People Like Us," by James M. Lindsay. Many people wonder why the U.S. gives millions of dollars to countries where Americans are unpopular.  Foreign aid is not about winning hearts and minds.

At 37 years old, Rev. Gabriel Salguero has a huge responsibility—to be the voice for some 9 million evangelicals in the United States. He is the president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, which includes more than 3,000 churches. “We work as a team and look for the common good. We fight for laws that are just,” said Salguero, who has led the coalition since January. 

The New Jersey resident says his goal within the coalition is to combat poverty among Latinos, lobby for just immigration laws, and to expand people’s access to education. “These are related issues. My goal is to fight for the well-being and justice of Latinos in this country,” he said. 

Salguero takes his message across the country and to different parts of the world. He also visits legislators in Washington, DC, in hopes of changing laws so that needy people will benefit. Being the voice of those who are in need or have been ignored is what motivates Salguero to lobby politicians and to put his best effort into his preaching at The Lamb’s Church, a multicultural congregation in New York City. 

Salguero has distinguished himself through church and public leadership. He is the founder of P.O.G International, an organization that promotes faith, leadership, and training, and has taught at Princeton Theological Seminary. “I owe all of this to my parents. I learned love and piety from them, watching them help people who were recovering from addictions. That inspired me,” said Salguero, who quit law school to get a doctorate in theology and ethics. 

The evangelical pastor said it hasn’t been easy to do all the things he wanted to do, but serving his community motivates him. “Working on behalf of others is a challenge, whether you’re a man or a woman, so it’s important to achieve some balance,” he said. “It’s helped that I have learned to delegate some duties. I can’t do everything myself so it’s important to work with a team. I have also learned not to say ‘yes’ to everything, and I have the full support of my wife—and that has been essential.” 

Jeannette Salguero is also a pastor at The Lamb’s Church. The couple tries to balance work and personal time. Often they split the time they spend with their two children and help each other meet the needs of their congregation. 

Gabriel Salguero said he will continue working with the immigrant community in the United States, particularly those who are in the country without authorization. “Immigration reform is the greatest challenge for Hispanics. We have to change the laws,” he said. “All of this has its roots in global poverty, and poverty stems from a lack of education. All of it is intertwined.” 

He’s optimistic that millions of undocumented immigrants will soon get the long-sought legal status that will allow them to remain in this country and eventually afford them the rights that come with U.S. citizenship.

Salguero plans to bring his message to Washington, DC, during Bread for the World’s National Gathering 2011 in June. The biennial event will bring together hundreds of Christian activists who are committed to “Changing the Politics of Hunger,” which is the event’s theme. He will be one of the featured speakers and will talk about ways to protect and help the neediest Latinos in this country.

“I’m taking part [in Bread’s National Gathering] because it is important to make sure Latino women and children get adequate nutrition. We must speak up for the hungry and those who are most at need,” said Salguero. “This world is experiencing a crisis because of the gap between those who have and those who have not. It’s our duty to speak up for them in this country and around the world.”

Isabel Morales is Hispanic media consultant for Bread for the World.

Jose likes soccer. He likes his car. And he loves his family, which is why he left Mexico for the United States when he was 17, started working, and now sends home about 20 percent of his pay to support them. Like many of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, Jose came here for opportunities that don't exist at home.

“We’re not criminals,” said Jose (not his real name). “We just come here to seek a better life.”

Indeed, economic necessity is the reason people risk their lives to work in the United States. And contrary to rhetoric that immigrants steal American jobs and drive down wages, immigrant labor is essential to the U.S. economy, as research shows:

• The Arizona economy would shrink by $48.8 billion, or 20 percent, if all undocumented workers left the state, according to an Immigration Policy Center study out last week.

• Immigration improves employment, productivity, and income but needs adjustments that respond to the economic cycle, states a 2010 Migration Policy Institute study.

• Hispanic immigrants contributed $9.2 billion to the North Carolina economy in 2006 and created 89,000 spinoff jobs, according to research by Dr. James Johnson, professor at UNC-Chapel Hill's Kenan Flagler Business School.

Jose is one Hispanic immigrant contributing to North Carolina's economy. He moved there five years ago, found a job, and joined a church. My colleagues Ivone Guillen, Molly Marsh, and I first met Jose at his church this past January, and we found him to be very kind, polite, and open to talking with us. We could tell he missed his family. He showed us pictures. He shared stories of life back home.

Listening to Jose speak and watching him live his limited life in North Carolina (we spent five days with him), you just think to yourself, "You don't leave people you love unless you must, because economic and social circumstances force you to go."