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Hispanic Baptist youth call for fair immigration reform
ASSOCIATED PRESS
04/15/2006

HOUSTON (AP) - A group of about 2,500 Hispanic students who attended a meeting on Saturday sponsored by the Baptist General Convention of Texas urged lawmakers to pass comprehensive and compassionate immigration legislation.

As part of a proclamation read at the end of their three-day meeting, the students urged "President Bush, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives to pass just and compassionate legislation that addresses stronger border security, respect for the law and a process for citizenship with regard to U.S. undocumented immigrants."

The students represented about 1,200 Hispanic congregations in the state affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, said Frank Palos, director of Hispanic Ministries. The group has 2.5 million members.

"The proclamation was read to encourage the president and other leaders to be fair, to be just, to think of the impact it will have on our Hispanic people for generations to come," Palos said.

The students join protesters who have held rallies around the country the last few weeks urging lawmakers to help an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants settle legally in the United States.

A bill passed by the House would crack down on illegal immigrants and strengthen the nation's border with Mexico. A broader overhaul of immigration law, which included a guest worker program, stalled in the Senate earlier this month.