Report of Committee on Migrant and Border Concerns

The ad hoc Committee on Migrant and Border Concerns, meeting at Ghost Ranch, on 15^th day of 6^th month, unified with the January 2007 report of the Immigration Working Group of Continuing Committee and accepted by Continuing Committee. 

In part, that report reads:

The group focusing on the IMYM query on Migrant and Border Concerns found three strands of possible unity among the monthly meetings of the yearly meeting. 

First, we heard a strong, deep sense of compassion for the stranger among us, a sense that also held the urgency of taking a stand in the face of injustice. 

Closely tied to this deep desire to act justly, was a lack of clarity about what ‘just action” might require of us.  There was an appreciation of the complexity of migrant and border issues.  Many meetings are consciously seeking to educate themselves, and hope was expressed that IMYM might assist in this educational process. 

We call upon Intermountain Yearly Meeting to unify with this report, and in order to move forward our common understanding of these complex issues and the opportunity for us to find unity, we propose (a) a program of intervisitation and (b) an increase in support for the work of FCNL. 

• We offer a response to the hope heard at Continuing Committee that IMYM might assist in the educational process. We propose a program of educational and worshipful intervisitation within the yearly meeting that consists of grounding in the spirit of our testimonies, grounding in the experience of our daily lives, and grounding in the shared experience of others. This is to be carried out by InterMountain Friends at the invitation of monthly meetings and worship groups, and in cooperation with local Friends active in peace and social concerns, AFSC, and FCNL as appropriate. We request $2,000 to help support travel and materials for two intervisitations each in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico, and one in Utah between the rise of yearly meeting in 2007 and the annual gathering in 2008. Our budget request anticipates that some local meetings will be able to share the costs.  
• The Committee recommends increasing financial support for the immigration and border work of FCNL by $2,000 in 2008.