TRAVERSE CITY -- A Traverse City priest disagrees with the current immigration laws and is working to get them changed.

Father Wayne Dziekan is a priest in Traverse City and has been involved with immigration issues for years.

He spent the Friday in Lansing fighting to change immigration laws that he feels are unjust.  He says the current laws treat immigrants like criminals.

Father Dziekan says,"Immigration laws and enforcement polices of the United States are so out of wack with the needs of our country, needs of our business, and the needs of the people and the ways that it has distorted the nature of current state of affairs...it's not doing us any good and is doing grave injustices to individuals and families."

Father Dziekan is stationed out of Saint Francis Church in Traverse City and is the Director of the Gaylord Diocese.

He met with several Michigan immigration advocates to brainstorm ways to raise awareness in communities across the state.  He says current immigration laws create problems like racial discrimination and the strain of separating families. 

Father Dziekan says, "There is a dire need, a moral imperative in the eyes of the catholic church to reform immigration laws and policies of the United States in order to ensure our safety as a nation and to assure the safety, integrity, and dignity of every human person."

He says there needs to be a process in place for the nearly 12 million undocumented workers to get citizenship.  If you would like to learn more about what the catholic church is purposing CLICK HERE.