Whereas the United States and Canada have long been a haven for immigrants seeking the political, economic and religious freedoms this country offers and in particular Jews have relied and continue to rely on fair and open immigration policies; and
Whereas the Torah repeatedly emphasizes the value of kindness and respect for the stranger; and
Whereas there has been a deterioration in public policy toward the acceptance of new immigrants and treatment of non-citizens; and
Whereas there is special concern regarding the detention and deportation of aliens, who, although currently in violation of immigration laws, have pending applications for lawful status which have not been processed, often due to INS backlogs;
Therefore, be it resolved that the Rabbinical Assembly call upon the United States government to take the following measures: To increase support for refugees abroad to restore refugee admissions to their historic levels in the mid-1990s with appropriate funding levels from Congress,
To protect asylum seekers and expedite the review process under which they are granted asylum, and
To protect the rights and prevent mistreatment of those required to register under the program known as Registration of Certain Nonimmigrant Aliens from Designated Countries.
Passed by the Rabbinical Assembly Plenum, April, 2003