Reform Movement Position on Immigration

URJ Resolutions on Immigration

Below is a series of Union for Reform Judaism policies that have guided our contributions to the current immigration debate:

Support of Comprehensive Immigration Reform in the United States (2007)
"Therefore, the Board of the Union resolves to: Support legislation providing for pathways to earned citizenship for undocumented immigrants that reflect fair and compassionate eligibility standards."

Civil Liberties and National Security: Striking the Proper Balance (2003)
“Therefore, the Board of the Union resolves to: Maintain its longstanding commitment to the Constitutional principle of due process for citizens and non-citizens alike by: Opposing measures that strip the power of immigration and federal judges to review decisions and exercise discretion regarding the status, detention, and deportation of non-citizens."

Citizenship (1997)
“THEREFORE, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations resolves to: Recognize the difficulties faced by immigrants seeking citizenship in the United States and urge, therefore, that any reform made to the required civics and English proficiency exams be made in full consultation with immigrant organizations, service providers, and others involved in the naturalization process."

Immigration (1995)
“...As new legislation is proposed to confront issues raised by legal and illegal immigration, we support those efforts that compassionately seek to regulate and to aid newcomers to this land but we oppose those that will unduly restrict immigration or burden the lives of legal immigrants."

Refugees and Sanctuary (1985)
“The history of the Jewish people from Egypt through the Holocaust and continuing today is the story of a group forced time and again to flee the lands in which it resided. Repelled often in times of greatest need, Jews recognize the necessity for havens for the persecuted."

Additional Resource:

HIAS:
A Jewish Vision for the Future of American Immigration and Refugee Policy

CCAR:

1974 CCAR Resolution on Immigration

2006 CCAR Resolution on Immigration Reform

WRJ:
1985 WRJ Resolution on Immigration Reform, Refugees, and Sanctuary
1995 WRJ Resolution on Immigration 
2009 WRJ Resolution on Immigration