President Obama Courts Evangelicals for Immigration Reform
President Obama met Friday with about a dozen evangelical and other faith leaders to discuss his plans to reform America's immigration laws.
While it's an issue leaders on both sides of the political aisle agree must be addressed, there are differences on how to achieve it and the president needs all the allies he can find.
Here's a list of leaders who attended the meeting:
• Leith Anderson, National Association of Evangelicals
• Stephan Bauman, President and CEO, World Relief
• Bishop Minerva Carcaño, United Methodist Church
• Rev. Luis Cortés, President, Esperanza
• Barrett Duke, Southern Baptist Convention
• Bishop Orlando Findlayter, Senior Pastor, New Hope Christian Fellowship
• Archbishop José Horacio Gomez, Archdiocese of Los Angeles
• Mark Hetfield, President and CEO, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society
• Rev. Kathryn Lohre, National Council of Churches
• Imam Mohamed Magid, President, Islamic Society of North America
• Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, President, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference
• Rev. Gabriel Salguero, President, National Latino Evangelical Coalition
• Dieter Uchtdorf, Second Counselor, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
• Jim Wallis, President and CEO, Sojourners
In a statement to Beltway Buzz, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez said:
"Today's meeting invigorated me with hope and optimism. The President's resolve in conjunction with evangelical support facilitate the prescription for a comprehensive resolution addressing America's immigration crisis. I am convinced that with prayer and prophetic activism we will live out Matthew 25 and welcome the stranger in the name of Jesus."
World Relief President Stephan Bauman said:
"I applaud the President for his genuine commitment to immigration reform. I believe the President understands the moral implications of not fixing our broken system and also the ongoing challenges that many undocumented immigrants face in our country today. As an organization that has been empowering local churches in the United States to serve immigrants in our communities, we feel encouraged that the President is committed to working with Members of Congress to pass immigration reform this year."