Episcopal immigration advocates meet, call for broader commitments
Episcopal News Service. May 21, 2007 [052107-04]
A group of Episcopalians -- both lay and clergy -- recently called on the Episcopal Church to undertake more vigorous and church-wide advocacy on behalf of at-risk migrants.
The group, convened by Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM), met May 14-15 at St. Paul's Cathedral Center in Los Angeles to discuss the current crisis facing undocumented immigrants as raids by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) escalate in various parts of the country.
Joining the group were Richard Parkins, EMM director, the Rev. John Denaro, EMM's church relations and outreach officer, and the Rev. Anthony Guillén, missioner for Latino/Hispanic Ministries for the Episcopal Church. The meeting was hosted by the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.
Representatives from the dioceses of Arizona, Chicago, Colorado, California, Los Angeles, North Carolina, San Diego and Olympia shared experiences about recent events in their parishes and communities where ICE raids and roundups had resulted in families being separated, dependent children being left without a parent, and hardworking members of their communities being abruptly taken away to detention centers, according to an EMM news release about the meeting. Most participants commented on the fear induced by the raids, causing in the case of one parish community, the reluctance of family members to come to church for fear of ICE detection and seizure.
Beyond the sharing of experiences, participants in the meeting were committed to remaining in solidarity with each other by advocating for migrant rights and exchanging resources and information about grassroots activity. They emphasized community organizing, networking with interfaith and ecumenical organizations, and making public witness on behalf of migrants through vigils and demonstrations, EMM's release said.
The Very Rev. Scott Richardson, dean of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego's St. Paul's Cathedral, encouraged the group to engage directly with local ICE officials to explain their concerns and to press for greater ICE sensitivity to the human consequences of their actions. The Rev. Josefina Beecher, Hispanic missioner at La Iglesia Episcopal de la Resurrección in Mount Vernon, Washington, recommended the development of materials and resources to equip advocates to do their work and to educate Episcopal congregations about the immigration crisis and the need for advocacy.
The group spent considerable time discussing Resolution A017 passed by the 75th General Convention. Members expressed an "urgency of putting flesh on the resolution through sustained advocacy and greater emphasis by church leaders on the moral urgency of achieving meaningful immigration reform and ending the raids that were heaping untold suffering on immigrant families," EMM's release said.
Group members also expressed concern that the issue of migrant justice was touching only a limited segment of the church, primarily in those communities and with those parishes and dioceses where large migrant communities existed.
Two perspectives received repeated attention throughout the two-day event. Several participants noted the need for "immediate, robust advocacy around achieving a good immigration bill soon," contending that a failure to do so would mean postponing Congressional action until after the 2008 presidential election, the release said.
"If this happened, immigration raids and the human havoc which they wreak would become a common occurrence," EMM's release quoted participants as saying.
"This appeal for immediate action was linked to a longer range perspective that pressed for calling on the church to recognize the root causes of migration, the impact of global economics on the movement of workers, and the racism and xenophobia that continues to infect society and thus impedes justice for migrants," the release continued. "Both perspectives were seen as essential features of whatever advocacy strategy the Church employs."
An impetus for the gathering was recognition of and -- for some -- participation in the New Sanctuary Movement (NSM), a coalition of interfaith religious leaders and participating congregations that advocate for both immigrants and immigration reform. Several congregations have signed on to the movement; others are seeking greater understanding of how it works in anticipation of their participation, according to the release.
The Rev. Alexia Salvatierra, one of NSM's leaders, explained the movement's objectives, its parameters and operational features, and the way in which denominational involvement could occur. Salvatierra explained that the movement was not about concealing undocumented migrants but rather accompanying them through counseling, financial and material support, and legal services. While churches could provide safe space for those in more precarious circumstances, the provision of shelter was not the key or exclusive feature of the program, she told the meeting.
The group discussed proposing a resolution to the Episcopal Church's Executive Council which would allow the Council to express its position on the sanctuary movement, according to the release.
The meeting's participants concluded their work by recommending that EMM consider a way of continuing the efforts of the group, possibly by forming an ongoing advisory body which would also include a refugee component to accommodate EMM's core work. They recommended that EMM, through Executive Council, seek formal recognition of such a body.
The Rev. Elizabeth Muñoz of Trinity Episcopal Church in Los Angeles told the meeting that being a part of a group of concerned Episcopalians focused on justice for migrants was reassuring to her as the pastor of a small parish where the immigration issue is real and present.
EMM's release said that participants saw the meeting as "the beginning of a process that if continued could strengthen the church's advocacy and witness on behalf of migrants and provide a visible platform for giving the Episcopal Church a clearer, more solid voice on behalf of marginalized immigrants."