WHEREAS our Unitarian Universalist faith calls us to recognize that no one is "the stranger";

WHEREAS we affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equity, and compassion in human relations; the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and society at large; and the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all, we Unitarian Universalists support the rights of our brothers and sisters who are recent immigrants to the United States of America;

WHEREAS in the spring of 2006, hundreds of thousands of people were moved to march for the rights of immigrants;

WHEREAS many among us are immigrants and integral members of and contributors to our communities and our congregations;

WHEREAS local, state, and federal elected officials have recently tried to criminalize and demonize immigrants to the United States;

WHEREAS politicians increasingly use immigrants as scapegoats for this country's problems and strive to distract the public from the underlying issues of global and economic justice;

WHEREAS our broken immigration system allows exploitation of undocumented workers; and

WHEREAS children of immigrants working in the fields are not receiving legal protection accorded other child laborers.

THEREFORE be it resolved that the 2006 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association:

• Supports just and comprehensive immigration reform;
• Supports the creation of an accessible and timely process to obtain residency and citizenship;
• Supports equitable treatment of all workers;
• Supports access to government and its democratic processes and to health care, education, and police protection for all;
• Supports the Children's Act for Responsible Employment (the CARE Act), H.R. 3482, which addresses the inequities and harsh conditions faced by children in agriculture in the United States;
• Opposes attempts at all levels of government to further criminalize or demonize immigrants and undocumented individuals and the people who give them humanitarian aid;
• Urges all Unitarian Universalist congregations and their members to continue providing services and fellowship to undocumented individuals even if legislation is passed that criminalizes these humanitarian acts;
• Opposes legislation by any governmental body that establishes any language as our "national language"; and
• Opposes the further militarization of United States borders.