Liberty and Justice for All

As an immigrant from the rubble that was Germany after WWII, Lange supports immigration reform that promotes strong families, helps the economy grow, builds community, rewards hard work and good education, adds to the quality and diversity of national life, enhances our moral standing, and reflects humane American values as enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and the inscription of welcome on Lady Liberty. Massive and cruelly imposed deportation of undocumented immigrants accomplishes none of those goals, but rather inflicts enormous damage on family life, community well-being, international relations, social ethics, and the economy. Immigrants, including enslaved ones, and their descendants built this country and propelled its economy through their great productivity, creativity and ingenuity. For that proud legacy of hard work and self-sacrifice for the benefit of others and the common good to continue, radical and moral immigration reform is needed; otherwise the economy will falter, communities will decline, families will be shattered, and the current nightmare of mass deportations and fear of them will continue with devastating consequences for the American Dream and for us all sooner or later. We can and must live up to the last five words of Our Pledge of Allegiance.