By Patricia Zapor
Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- As hundreds of thousands of people marched in cities across the country in support of comprehensive immigration reform, Catholic bishops in various states joined the chorus of voices calling on Congress to do more than crack down on illegal immigrants.

The Senate Judiciary Committee was to take up immigration legislation the last week of March, pressured by Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., to quickly turn a completed bill over to the full Senate.

As committee and floor votes neared, immigrants, church activists, union members and others who are pressing for change led rallies and marches in Washington, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Chicago, Denver and other cities. The Saturday before the Senate returned from a weeklong break to consider the bill, more than half a million people marched in downtown Los Angeles.

Bishops from Georgia, Arizona, New York, California, Pennsylvania and Colorado are among those who have issued pastoral letters or public statements in recent months about immigration and what they would like legislation to address.

Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles called the people of his archdiocese to consider how Lenten fasting, prayers and almsgiving could help them "relate to the complex reality of immigration, especially in the face of increasing hostility toward immigrants." He also said that if a House-passed version of legislation passed he would instruct the priests of his diocese to ignore its provisions that would criminalize providing assistance to illegal immigrants.

In general, the bishops' statements echo many of the points in documents of the U.S. bishops as a whole, including a 2003 pastoral letter, "Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope," issued jointly with the Mexican bishops' conference.

In July 2005, Bishop Gerald R. Barnes of San Bernardino, Calif., chairman of the bishops' Committee on Migration, announced the committee's support for a version of immigration reform legislation sponsored by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., known as the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops also has endorsed an interfaith statement calling for a comprehensive approach to immigration law.

Among the key principles endorsed by the bishops are:

-- That any legislation provide a way for people who are already in the country illegally to "come out of the shadows, regularize their status upon satisfaction of reasonable criteria and, over time, pursue an option to become lawful permanent residents and eventually" U.S. citizens.

-- That the system of immigration for family reunification be revamped to significantly reduce waiting times, which now run many years for some categories of relatives of legal U.S. residents. The backlog is considered to be a factor in why some people try to enter the country illegally and in the breakup of families.

-- That any system for "guest workers" to fill jobs in the United States includes legal avenues for workers and their families who wish to remain in the country to do so.

-- That border enforcement policies respect individuals and protect human rights, while allowing the government to identify terrorists and dangerous criminals and prevent their entry.

Bishop Barnes on behalf of the migration committee in December criticized H.R. 4437, legislation passed by the House and sponsored by Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis. Among his objections were:

-- It would expand the process known as expedited removal, further curtailing the already limited rights people have in seeking to avoid deportation.

-- It would require that anyone caught attempting to enter the United States illegally be put in detention. Currently, thousands of illegal immigrants are simply returned across the Mexican border or are released on their own recognizance pending further legal action.

-- It would change the act of being in the country illegally from a violation of civil law to a criminal violation, which would have long-term implications for future efforts for people to become legal residents.

-- It would criminalize the act of aiding people who are in the country illegally, including offering humanitarian assistance such as that provided by many church-sponsored organizations.

-- It would prohibit refugees and asylum seekers from obtaining legal permanent residence and citizenship if they commit relatively minor crimes.

Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops