Posted on 05/09/2007 9:49:56 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
Two churches intend to give sanctuary to illegal immigrants to protect them from deportation and put pressure on lawmakers to create a path to citizenship for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants.
Beginning Wednesday, a Catholic Church in Los Angeles and a Lutheran church in North Hollywood each intend to shelter one person as part of the "New Sanctuary Movement."
A handful of churches in other U.S. cities plan similar efforts in the months ahead to spotlight the plight of illegal immigrants.
"We want to put a human face to very complex immigration laws and awaken the consciousness of the human spirit," said Father Richard Estrada of Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Los Angeles, where one illegal immigrant will live.
Organizers don't believe immigration agents will make arrests inside the churches.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has not tried to arrest Elvira Arrellano, an illegal immigrant who has taken shelter at a Methodist church in Chicago since August.
ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice declined to say if agents would attempt to arrest others who take sanctuary in churches, although she did say agents have "the authority to arrest those who are in violation of our immigration laws anywhere in the United States."
Anti-illegal immigration groups called the sanctuary effort misguided.
The faith groups "don't seem to realize that they are being charitable with someone else's resources, and that's not charity," said Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which favors limits on immigration.
"We are talking about illegal immigrants taking someone else's job, filling up the classroom of someone else's child," he said.
The sanctuary effort is loosely based on a movement in the 1980s, when churches harbored Central American refugees fleeing wars in their home countries. Organizers of the current movement include members of the Jewish, Muslim, Catholic and other faiths.
They believe the effort will give illegal immigrants a platform to share their stories of suffering in a way that pushes lawmakers toward reform.
Participating churches in San Diego, Seattle, Chicago and New York won't initially house illegal immigrants. Instead, leaders will provide legal council, accompany them to court hearings and prepare plans to house them in churches if authorities try to deport them.
The plans come as immigration reform legislation has been stalled since last summer, and tens of thousands of illegal immigrants have been detained and deported in stepped up immigration raids in recent months.
The first to receive refuge in Los Angeles will be a single father from Mexico who has two children who are U.S. citizens, said Rev. Alexia Salvatierra, executive director of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice, an interfaith association spearheading the national plans.
The man, whose name was not released, worked 17 years as a cook at Los Angeles International Airport before getting injured on the job more than a year ago, she said. He has been unable to work and is facing deportation.
"If he goes back to Mexico, the family will literally not have enough food to eat," she said.
The other church will shelter an unidentified Guatemalan man who runs a small gardening business and has two U.S. citizen children. He fled Guatemala in the 1990s during its civil war. He has been denied political asylum and is facing deportation.
The churches put out calls for immigrants who were willing and wanted to take part in the sanctuary movement. Immigrants were screened to make sure they paid taxes and didn't have criminal backgrounds, Salvatierra said.
In New York, a handful of churches will be giving aid to a Haitian man and a Chinese couple, who are facing deportation and have U.S. citizen children, said Father Juan Carlos Ruiz.
Though the immigrants won't initially live in churches, three congregations are ready to take them in, Ruiz said.
"Depending on how immigration officials act toward us, we'll be escalating our actions," he said.
From their [Coming Events & Announcements] page: "In Atlanta, the Discipline Committee chosen by the ELCA recommends that synod assemblies, and the Churchwide Assembly reconsider and revise the policy which prohibits homosexual relationships for clergy. The recommendation is that all clergy who have been taken off the roster because of this policy be reconsidered. To view the entire decision, go to lcna.org. Those involved in the trial were pleased by the direction of this decision.
The policy has long been that homosexuals may continue as clergy as long as they practice abstinence.
While this obviously doesn't pertain to immigration, it's reflective on where the ELCA has gone over the years. That's why my wife and I no longer participate.
The church is making a grave mistake by using its churches as sanctuaries. How long before the paritioners decide to go elsewhere to worship and donations slow to a stand still. Remember separation of church and state?, If they continue on these lines thier tax status should be revoked. Keep politics out of the church. Not surising this is coming out of California
I just got off the phone with my mom and she attends every Sunday and she hasn’t heard anything about this “New Sanctuary Movement” or giving sanctuary to illegal aliens at her church. Also, I have to believe there is no way they’d even consider something like this since, they are having financial troubles and may ultimately have to go to one pastor. Plus, St. Paul’s First Lutheran has a school next door that they run (K-8) and I cannot see them doing doing anything contraversial that could effect their cashflow or the school.
Given this conversation, I’d say it 99.9% certain that St. Paul’s is not the offending church. Lets hear from St. Matthews Lutheran Church now.
Also, pastor Lynn Weidmann is a man, not a woman. He was the pastor who met me at the hospital and we did a couple mini services together for dad. I couldn’t remember the first name, but I do remember him and both current pastors being male, at the time. All have been men and I don’t think WELS even trains women to be pastors.
"For seven years, Rev. Schaefer served as the pastor of a small inner-city church in Detroit, Michigan where he grew in sensitivity to racism and poverty in America and developed a love for African American culture, religion, and music.
"In the early 1990's Rev. Schaefer worked for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service first in its Detroit affiliate, and then in its New York headquarters. In 1993 he received a call to serve as Pastor of St. Matthew's. It was there he met his life partner and soul mate, Steve Stoppel, together they celebrated their love in a Holy Union ceremony St. Matthews, they currently reside in Santa Monica where Rev. Dr. Gregory L. Schaefer has his clinical psychology practice.
Then there is their pastor, Susan E. Wolfe Devol, of whom this is written: "Sue is married to Steven Devol who works on the national desk of the Los Angeles Times...You can contact Pastor Sue at..."
So, we have a pastor who's spouse in on the national desk at the LA Times, and a part-time pastor who is practicing a gay relationship, actually sanctioned by this church, in contravention of ELCA policy.
This is unbelievable! Well, maybe not, knowing the ELCA as I do.
You are absolutely right. But that's a moot point at this time. See my further posts regarding St. Matthews.
Your parents can rest easy.
Interesting.
However, respect between religion and the law is a two-way street. Here's a case where a religion is disrespecting the law; why should the law respect the religion?
Furthermore, how would sanctuary play if there were a crime in progress being committed in a church? Should the police sit out a murderous rampage or a rape until the suspect exits the church? No way. This is only different in the degree of the violation.
And, one last point about respect for religion and the law. Leftists have a long history of disrespecting both institutions, but most especially the former. Why then, should they suddenly respect the former for this one action, and expect the latter to respect the former?
Dollars to donuts that political refugees from Cuba, Venezuela and other "workers' paradises" are turned away at the door.
Thank you for the info. I would still like to see liberal churches that feel free to act politically and to disobey the law lose their exemption.
Michael Frazier
Midway down the article, you'll see that the Lutheran Church involved is San Pablo's Lutheran Church in North Hollywood. This is a new one on me.
Yes, it's an ELCA congregation. Whod'a thunkit?
My thoughts exactly.
That’s what gets me upset about the illegal alien holed up in the Chicago church for the last few months. INS should have had her outta there immediatley and on her way back to her own country courtesy of the US taxpayer.
If churches insist on abetting lawbreakers - say bye to tax exempt status.
So expect old Hillry to be on this ‘what would Jesus do’ hypocrisy bandwagon.... liberals have religion to and they will play the ‘Jesus’ card better than the so called religious right ever contemplated...
I agree.
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