ABC's Nightline to feature Arizona congregation in coverage of immigration debate
Episcopal News Service. October 18, 2007 [101807-01]
Good Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church in Cave Creek, Arizona, will be featured October 18 during an ABC television Nightline segment on the immigration debate in the United States.
ABC television broadcasts Nightline in the 10:30 p.m. or 11:30 p.m. hour, depending upon the time zone. Check your local listings for time and channel.
Good Shepherd began a day-labor program seven years ago at the invitation of officials in Cave Creek, located about 35 miles north of Phoenix, the Rev. Glenn Jenks, the church's rector, told Episcopal News Service in June, but the program has since drawn protestors and the attention of local law enforcement.
The Nightline's segment describes the Good Shepherd program as offering "a safe place, no questions asked, for employers to meet laborers" and reporter Jeffrey Kofman says that local sheriff's deputies recently began random traffic stops of vehicles leaving the church, arresting any illegal immigrants found inside.
"It's clear that we've been targeted," Jenks tells the news show. "And I think we've been targeted because there is a sentiment in some of the community leaders here -- they just want to run these guys out of town."
The Nightline segment features Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants in the area around Phoenix and Mesa, Arizona.
Jenks tells Kofman that the sheriff is misreading the realities of illegal immigration.
"The drive that brings them here is one of the most basic and powerful drives, and that is for a father to feed his children," says Jenks. "And I think a lot of people underestimate that -- they think that if they can just make it a little uncomfortable for them they'll go home. Some will, but the vast majority won't. More will just come. And they'll keep coming and keep coming."
On any given day, the center matches between 35 to 50 laborers with prospective employers. Nearly 120 laborers are registered with the center; about 80 of whom have been matched with permanent positions, Dan Dooley, a retired orthodontist and parishioner who operates the center, told ENS earlier this year.
"We started it to try to help the city and for humanitarian reasons," Dooley said. Objections stem from an Arizona law prohibiting the hiring of illegal workers, he said. "But it's a law that's not enforceable. We've learned that these are decent people looking to feed and clothe their families back in Mexico."
The church has faced many objections to its outreach ministry with undocumented workers. For instance, the American Freedom Riders (AFR), a group of motorcyclists regularly pickets Good Shepherd's center, Jenks told ENS.
The AFR website once featured a photograph of the church day labor center's sign and the following commentary: "The sign should read: Illegal Alien Day workers break the law here, have no fear."
Workers earn between $8 and $10 per hour and pay one dollar a day to participate in the center's program. Four local churches provide support and volunteers. A food pantry, continental breakfast six days per week, mediation in the event of labor disputes and partially-subsidized medical and dental services are also available.
Usama Abujbarah, Cave Creek's town manager, praised the day labor center. "From our side as the town's administration, we think the Episcopal Church is one of the best assets in our community," Abujbarah told ENS in June. "Helping the day laborers helps the community."
In September, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said that failure of recent attempts to reform U.S. immigration laws have left migrants "without any hope of being brought in from the shadows and protected from the exploitation which has been their fate for far too long."
In a letter to members of the Episcopal Church, Jefferts Schori especially criticized a recent escalation of raids by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency on job sites, community gatherings, and homes of persons presumed to be undocumented, saying those raids have disrupted families, including cases where family members have been unable to maintain contact with those who have been detained or deported.
She called on "all people of faith to vehemently insist that migrants be protected from inhumane treatment."
The 75th General Convention in June 2006 passed Resolution A017, which sets out the Church's stance on immigration reform. The elements include giving undocumented aliens a reasonable opportunity to pursue permanent residency, allowing legal workers to enter the U.S. "to respond to recognized labor force needs," allowing close family members to reunite without undue delay with individuals lawfully present in the U.S., granting legal due process rights to all persons, and having "proportional and humane" enforcement of national borders and immigration policies.
The resolution also called for members of the Episcopal Church to learn about the "plight of refugees, immigrants, and migrants [and] the root causes of migration," and to "commit to welcoming strangers as a matter of Christian responsibility, to advocate for their wellbeing and protection and to…resist legislation and actions which violate our fundamental beliefs as Christians, including the criminalization of persons providing humanitarian assistance to migrants."
On June 14, the Episcopal Church's Executive Council, its governing body between Conventions, passed Resolution NAC022, which reiterates those principles.
Jenks has said the Cave Creek center has become a signature ministry for Good Shepherd, letting day laborers "know they're cared for, loved, welcomed and safe. Just the fact that they are here on a daily basis reminds us always of why we're here," he said.