Arturo Chavez is president of the Mexican American Cultural Center in San Antonio, Texas. The center is a leading advocacy group for Latino Catholics and immigrants.

The Rev. Jaime Soto is Chairman of  Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church. The office focuses on a number of church ministries, including the pastoral care of migrants, refugees and travelers. He has commented on the importance of Hispanics to the Catholic Church in the U.S.

David Badillo is associate professor of Latin American and Puerto Rican studies at Lehman College at the City University of New York and author of Latinos and the New Immigrant Church, about the Catholic Church.

The Gamaliel Foundation describes itself as a nonpartisan, faith-based organizing network of 72 affiliates in 26 U.S. states and five provinces of South Africa. The foundation is a leading advocacy group for comprehensive immigration reform.

In December 2009, the Center for Immigration Studies released results of a poll conducted by Zogby International. Among its findings: Many people of faith want overall immigration reduced, regardless of what their religious leaders are advocating on the issue. The findings drew criticism from the Public Religion Research Institute.

A March 2010 survey by the Public Religion Research Institute found broad support across religious groups for comprehensive immigration reform and strong approval for clergy speaking out on the issue.

Read about a 2009 study on churches’ outreach to first-generation immigrants in North America. LifeWay Research conducted the analysis for the North American Mission Board, the domestic missions agency of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Read a March 20, 2010, post at USA Today‘s Faith & reason blog about the influence of the Bible on people’s views of immigration reform.

A post at USA Today‘s Faith & Reason blog explains how provision in some proposals to benefit same-sex immigrant couples could become a major stumbling block for certain religious groups.