A Call to Conscious, Humane Treatment of Immigrants 1995 Resolution of Immediate Witness

BECAUSE we covenant as Unitarian Universalists to affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person; and

BECAUSE we covenant as Unitarian Universalists to promote justice, equity, and compassion in human relations; and

WHEREAS passage of Proposition 187 in California in 1994 has spawned imitations of that legislation in multiple states, and inspired national legislative proposals which would deny essential health, education, and welfare services to undocumented workers, and restrict such services also to legal immigrants who are not citizens;

WHEREAS subsequent to the passage of Proposition 187 there have been numerous documented instances of increased anti-immigrant hostility, strong evidence that the climate of fear has intensified in and around immigrant communities, and documentation that the passage of the California proposition has fostered the rebirth of new levels of xenophobia in the general population; and

WHEREAS as Unitarian Universalists we cannot in conscience condone the systematic refusal of humane social services to needy persons and their families based on immigration status, national origin, or citizenship;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the 1995 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Asso-ciation demands from both state and federal lawmakers humane solutions to the very complex social issues relating to undocumented persons in this country, and a just application of human rights at both the state and national levels for all people living within our borders; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the 1995 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association urges individual Unitarian Universalists in the United States to serve those directly harmed and others affected by the passage of any legislation which would deny human beings the basic services warranted to all members of a free and just society.