|
The New Sanctuary Movement
Sanctuary, in tradition and practice, was common to many cultures. Those seeking safety from arrest or torture from authority sought refuge in religious sites. For the Greeks, the Temple of Diane at Ephesus was sanctuary; the Hebrews designated six towns as refuge; for the Romans it was the cella or inner room of the family home. For Christian Europe, from the 4th century until the 17th, sanctuary in major churches provided a refuge and immunity to arrest for forty days. In both theory and practice, sanctuary was abolished in England by James I in the 17th century. However, myriad causes in the late 20th century have led many to invoke the concept again. In the 20th century there is a long history of population displacement caused by wars, ethnic cleansing, pogroms, famine, natural calamities. These forces resulted in the large scale emigration of people from native lands. Like the immigrants who came in droves to America in the 19th and early 20th centuries, these new immigrants are seeking a better life for themselves and their families. Many see the United States of America as the promised land. Restrictive immigration rules make legal entry impossible for many people on the lower end of the socio-economic scale. At the same time, those seeking asylum are being held to a higher standard of proof. Thus, many seek entry to America without full documentation. These are complex problems that do not lend themselves to easy or simplistic answers, but these problems underscore the need for immigration reform. The issue of immigration reform has galvanized people on all sides―from those who favor immediate deportation of undocumented immigrants to those who favor offering amnesty and a path to US citizenship. It is a particular issue for people of faith. How should we react when we see a young mother, ankle monitor on her leg, holding a baby, waiting to be taken into custody? How do we react when, after a raid on a workplace, mothers and fathers are not able to work and, therefore, unable to support a family while they await a court date? In the 1980s a revitalized Sanctuary movement developed to assist Central American refugees fleeing life-threatening repression and human rights violations by governments. Influenced by the liberation theology movement, many sought refuge with faith communities and in churches. Refuge was needed because the United States government supported many of the Central American regimes. However, over 500 congregations sheltered refugees from Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). When House Bill HR4437 (Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act) was proposed, making it a criminal act to aid undocumented immigrants, Cardinal Roger Mahoney of Los Angeles indicated that he would oppose the bill and would tell priests and others working with immigrants to disregard the bill’s provision. His arguments won the day and alerted people to the plight of those seeking a better life in America and solidified the work of the Sanctuary Movement. On January 29, 2007, representatives from twelve religious traditions and seven denominations and interdenominational organizations convened in Washington, DC to hear from immigrant families fighting deportation. This meeting was the birth of The New Sanctuary Movement. Its goal was to protect immigrant families from unjust deportation and to awaken the moral conscience of the country to the families suffering under an unjust immigration policy in need of comprehensive reform. The coalition of interfaith religious leaders and participating congregations covenanted to the following principles:
These were the issues that led two people of faith, Margaret Sawyer, a UCC pastor, and Peter Pedemonti, from House of Grace Catholic Worker, to establish the New Sanctuary Movement, Philadelphia (NSM). Concerned about the treatment of undocumented immigrants, the rending apart of families by an ICE raid on a janitorial service in King of Prussia, discrimination in the workplace, increasing violence against immigrants and immigrant groups, not only in Philadelphia, but also in places like Shenandoah, PA, and aware of growing reporting by Philadelphia police of undocumented immigrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and subsequent home invasions, these two leaders felt called by faith to try to organize faith communities in the area to help educate people—both immigrants and current citizens—about the need to reform a broken immigration system and to aid those victimized by the system. An initial meeting, held at Temple Mishkon Shalom through the aid of Rabbi Linda Holtzman, attracted more than 100 people. Mishkon Shalom became the first officially affiliated NSM congregation and, thus, the NSM Philadelphia was born. The NSM Philadelphia, following the initial meeting at Mishkon Shalom , began collecting material and financial resources to support workers affected by immigration raids. While agreeing with the principles of the national NSM, the Philadelphia group is independent of it and has developed an independent Board of Directors and an agenda suited to the local group. The coalition currently includes members from many faith backgrounds: Baptist, Catholic, Jewish, Mennonite, with Mishkon Shalom, Visitation BVM, and Central Baptist Church in Wayne forming the nucleus. The NSM Philadelphia bases its concerns on basic humanitarian values of “love, compassion and dignity.” They recognize that the current immigration policies fail to recognize that all people are children of God and deserve both justice and dignity. The educational work of the group focuses on both immigrant and citizen education. The group offers forums and workshops on immigrant justice issues and immigrant rights and responsibilities. As it organizes with the community, the NSM Philadelphia hopes to build a network of congregations within the city. The group supports families emotionally, spiritually and financially by accompanying them on visits to detention centers and bearing public witness at immigration hearing. It also offers a place for families or individuals to live within a house of worship while they work for immigration reform. For example, in one case a Pakistani mother of two contacted NSM in August, 2008. Her husband had been arrested and detained by immigration. He had lost his green card through a felony in the past, although he had also applied for refuge as a persecuted Christian . His probation officer reported him to ICE and they arrested him. She was faced with complex legal issues at the same time she faced the loss of income and the emotional upheaval resulting from his detention. NSM helped the family find a lawyer, accompanied them on trips to the York Detention Center, assisted them financially and attended his trial. Finally, in December, 2008 he was granted a stay of deportation and was home to celebrate Christmas with his family. That family now works with NSM to help others. Another important element that NSM is trying to develop is storytelling. The stories of immigrants and their families need to be heard to remind us of the human face of immigration reform. To hear what individuals and families have endured seeking a better life is to see a side of life that most Americans never encounter. To hear stories of workplace discrimination and exploitation, to hear stories of collaboration between ICE and local police is to understand the reluctance of immigrants to deal with authorities. To listen to the voices of these people is to say we need to hear and understand their very human stories,because all of us are brothers and sisters. What can we as individuals do to support this work?
The United States Conference of Bishops has reminded us:
The following sites proved most useful in developing materials for this report: ► www.newsanctuarymovement.org, ► www.justiceforimmigrants.org, John
Ennis |