Welcoming the Newcomer: How Faith Groups Are Rallying the Religious Behind Immigration Reform

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5. From the same article -

A history of advocacy

Faith-based advocacy around immigration is anything but new. On the contrary, much of today’s faith-based push for reform is built on a decades-long history of religious support for those seeking to find a new home in the United States.

When thousands of Central Americans fled to the United States in the 1980s to escape oppressive government regimes, for example, American houses of worship near the U.S.-Mexico border defied federal law and created an Underground Railroad-style network of churches that provided a safe haven for refugees. This network came to be known as the Sanctuary Movement and eventually grew to include more than 500 congregations nationwide. What started as a small act of mercy eventually proved to have lasting effects: The Sanctuary Movement helped pressure the Reagan administration into passing the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, a landmark piece of legislation that extended temporary worker visa programs and provided legal status for more than 3 million undocumented immigrants.