The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) published a full-page color advertisement in Roll Call, a newspaper widely read by politicians and staffers on Capitol Hill. Today’s ad, signed by 13 senior evangelical leaders, calls for bipartisan action this year to overhaul the nation’s broken immigration system.

The NAE initiative seeks to build on growing momentum among evangelicals in support of immigration reform since the passage of state legislation in Arizona last month. On Wednesday, Liberty Counsel issued a strong statement by evangelical leaders calling immigration reform “a moral issue” that should be addressed immediately.

The Roll Call advertisement emphasizes key provisions contained in the NAE’s resolution on immigration reform passed last October. Evangelicals support reform that:

• Respects the God-given dignity of every person
• Protects the unity of the immediate family
• Respects the rule of law
• Guarantees secure national borders
• Ensures fairness to taxpayers
• Establishes a path toward legal status and/or citizenship for those who qualify and who wish to become permanent residents

While political observers have questioned whether the administration and Congress have the political will to enact immigration reform legislation this year, the NAE’s Director of Government Affairs, Galen Carey, remains optimistic.

“The basic outlines of immigration reform are clear,” he said. “The recent law passed by the Arizona legislature show that the public wants action now. We call on President Obama, and on Republicans and Democrats in Congress, to put aside partisan wrangling and get this done now.”