Speech #1050078430

I am honored to join with Senator ABRAHAM. Senator HATCH. Senator LEAHY and my other colleagues in sponsoring legislation to reauthorize provisions of our laws permitting immigrants to come to this country to serve communities in churches and other religious institutions across the United States. One of the most significant achievements of the Immigration Act of 1990. which I sponsored in the Senate. was the creation of this important visa category. Religious institutions perform extraordinary services for families and communities. In doing so. they often find it worthwhile to bring in religious workers from other lands as immigrants. to help them carry out their activities in the United States. One of the best known supporters of this practice was Mother Teresa. Missionaries in her Order come to the United States frequently to work with the poor in our country. She and the members of her Order have directly touched the lives of millions of Americans. Much of the recent work by her Missionaries of Charity in this country would not have been possible without this important provision in our immigration laws. Unfortunately. this visa category expires on September 30. just two weeks from today. We cannot allow this to happen. As His Eminence Cardinal Maida of Detroit testified before the Immigration Subcommittee last week. "Should the program be permitted to expire. the impact would be far reaching. Not only would religious organizations and denominations lose access to the much needed contributions of these religious workers. but so. too. would the many communities in which these individuals work." The legislation we are sponsoring would make this visa a permanent part of our immigration laws. Renewal of this visa would be a small. but enduring memorial to Mother Teresa and her work in America. It will enable the members of her Order to continue their charitable and compassionate work in this country long into the future. I have been honored to see her good work in America and around the world.