California Bishops Condemn INS Action
Episcopal News Service. October 27, 1988 [88234C]
NEW YORK (DPS, Oct. 27)
On September 27, agents of the United States Border Patrol, an arm of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), entered La Purisma Roman Catholic Church, in Orange, California, during the 6:30 A.M. mass. The action was taken while Border Patrol agents were in pursuit of two suspected illegal aliens who took refuge in the church during a sweep of the area. La Purisma has a predominantly Spanish-speaking congregation. Ultimately, the two suspects and five other members of the congregation were taken from the church and arrested. A total of 160 suspected aliens were arrested in the sweep.
Two California bishops, Bishop Norman McFarland, a Roman Catholic, and Bishop Oliver Garver, Episcopal suffragan of Los Angeles, have denounced the U.S. Border Patrol action. McFarland, whose diocese includes Orange, said, "Nothing warrants them entering a church and disrupting a service. There was no question of public safety being involved." Garver is quoted as saying: "To act so precipitously, not to pause and let church officials and superiors in the INS discuss the issues is rather scandalous and frightening.... We're not pursuing armed felons.... We're pursuing people who in the best American tradition want to work."