The chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Migration applauded President George W. Bush's advocacy during his Jan. 23 State of the Union address for comprehensive immigration reform.

"I welcome the remarks of President Bush," said Bishop Gerald R. Barnes of San Bernardino, Calif., in a Jan. 25 statement. "Comprehensive immigration reform is clearly a high priority for our nation and should be high on the agenda of the 110th Congress," he added. "The issue of immigration reform is ripe for federal action."

Bush, in his address, asked Congress for "a serious, civil and conclusive debate so that you can pass --- and I can sign --- comprehensive immigration reform into law."

"Although immigration elicits strong views, our elected officials must work together in a bipartisan manner to repair our flawed immigration system," Bishop Barnes said.

"In part because of inaction at the federal level, states and localities are moving to adopt their own laws in this area. Americans throughout the country strongly desire that Congress solve the problem of illegal immigration," he said.

Bishop Barnes added, "From a humanitarian perspective, there is even more urgency for action. Migrants continue to be subject to exploitation by unscrupulous employers, abuse by smugglers, and death in the American desert.

"As the recent raids on meatpacking plants demonstrate, families are subject to separation and dislocation. As a moral matter, our nation can no longer accept the work and taxes of migrant laborers without offering them legal protection," he said.

Bishop Barnes outlined five elements the U.S. bishops would like to see in a new immigration bill:

---A program allowing undocumented people to earn permanent residency.

---A worker program that protects foreign-born workers and safeguards against the displacement of U.S. workers.

---A reduction in the waiting time for the reunification of immigrant families.

---The restoration of due process protections for immigrants.

---Policies addressing the root causes of migration.

As of Jan. 29, 53 bills had been introduced in Congress that deal with immigration in some form.

Six Democratic senators introduced the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, which seeks "to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for more effective border and employment enforcement, to prevent illegal immigration and to reform and rationalize avenues for legal immigration."

Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., introduced the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Commission Act of 2007, which would create an eight-member bipartisan commission with a $1.5 million budget that would produce a report to Congress of its findings and recommendations six months after its two co-chairs are appointed.

---CNS