Around a dozen religious leaders in Salt Lake City joined hands on Saturday in order to bless a group of immigration advocates who are traveling all over the United States to try to increase support for comprehensive reform for the sake of people who are dying in the desert in their attempt to illegally enter the country, and for families who are being ripped asunder by the current system.
“Our country has been founded by immigrants, has a history of welcoming and integrating immigrants and we will continue to be great as we acknowledge our heritage and be a nation whose shores are a welcome beacon for those on the move,” says John Wester, the Catholic Bishop of Salt Lake City.
Wester helped to welcome riders on the Fast for Families bus, one of a pair that is journeying to over 75 congressional districts all over the United States before meeting one another again in Washington DC on the 9th April. The trek got underway after a number of activists elected to fast on the National Mall for 22 days starting in November in a bid to keep the issue of immigration reform upfront for Congress.
Today the group will be paying a visit to the office of Representative Chris Stewart to try to push him into taking leadership over the immigration issue. Wester describes immigration reform as something that is “long overdue”, adding that there have been no significant changes to the law since the 1960s.