One of the most important evidences of our faith and morality is how we treat our fellow human beings, so I believe that any effort to resolve immigration issues must be approach first and foremost from that perspective. We are all God's children and need to treat each other accordingly. Secondly, families are fundamental; immigration laws and enforcement should do everything possible to keep families together.
This is a complex issue with no easy solution, but some of the many facets to consider include simplifying and streamlining the legal immigration process, attracting and retaining legal immigrants who are productive members of society, aiding nearby countries to improve their quality of living, and protecting vulnerable people.
Two years ago, when Utah was discussing immigration issues as a state, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a statement. It read, in part, “The bedrock moral issue for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is how we treat each other as children of God…The Church supports an approach where undocumented immigrants are allowed to square themselves with the law and continue to work without this necessarily leading to citizenship. In furtherance of needed immigration reform in the United States, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints supports a balanced and civil approach to a challenging problem, fully consistent with its tradition of compassion, its reverence for family, and its commitment to law.”
