Thread: Chicago church no sanctuary from stalemate on immigration

http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/142874

Chicago church no sanctuary from stalemate on immigration
Ernesto Portillo Jr.
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 08.20.2006
When an illegal immigrant from Mexico sought sanctuary in a Chicago church last week, it didn't surprise the Rev. John Fife.

The only surprising aspect of the evolving story is that it went public.

Some churches across the country are quietly giving sanctuary to illegal immigrants trying to keep their families from being torn apart by deportation, said Fife, leader of the Sanctuary movement, which sheltered thousands of Central American civil war refugees in American churches and synagogues more than 20 years ago.
None of the churches are in Tucson, he said.

In 1986, Fife and seven others in the Sanctuary movement were convicted on federal charges of transporting and concealing illegal entrants. He received five years' probation.

Fife said people across the country have contacted him in recent months to seek his counsel on the question of sanctuary.

As the government increases its workplace crackdown, Fife predicts more families will seek sanctuary to avoid being split up. With an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants nationwide, many families have some members who are here illegally and others who are legal.

In the Chicago case, Elvira Arellano is in this country illegally but her 7-year-old son is a citizen. She was to report to federal immigration officials Aug. 15 on a deportation order.

Arellano, an immigration activist who previously was deported and was found to be working using a false Social Security card, has vowed to remain in a Methodist church with her son.

However, there is no law preventing immigration agents from entering the church to apprehend her.

The basic principle of sanctuary is the same today as it was two decades ago — and as it has been throughout history, said Fife, who retired last summer as pastor of Southside Presbyterian Church.

By taking refuge in a church, Arellano invoked a tradition that stretches back to medieval England, maybe even further. But the tradition is not imbedded in U.S. law, and the federal government could forcibly remove her.

While reporting in San Diego County in the late 1990s, I wrote about a U.S. Border Patrol agent who chased a suspected illegal immigrant into a church. The agent apprehended the man, which prompted a protest by the pastor.

In Chicago, federal immigration officials have said they will wait to arrest Arellano. Agents will not enter the church.
But many Americans insist the government should march into the church, remove Arellano and deport her immediately.

If our government does that, "we become what we say we fight against," said the Rev. Robert Carney, a priest at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church on Tucson's East Side. "We will have become desensitized to the human being. We will have lost our capacity for compassion."

The Chicago sanctuary case has become a symbol of the current status of the national immigration debate — a stalemate.

Activists on both sides of the issue are using the Arellano case to make their arguments. Congress has not agreed on an immigration bill to send to the president and is unlikely to do so before the November election.
For Arellano and others like her, sanctuary offers refuge while a compromise is negotiated, said Fife.

The outcome of this case will likely satisfy one side while angering the other, whether it lasts one more day or longer.

But if Fife is right, more people like Arellano will fight to keep their families together — inside or outside a church.

● Ernesto Portillo Jr.'s column appears Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach him at 573-4242 or at eportillo@azstarnet.com. He appears on "Arizona Illustrated," KUAT-TV Channel 6, at 6:30 p.m. and midnight Fridays.

But if Fife is right, more people like Arellano will fight to keep their families together — inside or outside a church.

NO ONE IS TEARING THEM APART!!!!! NO ONE IS TAKING HER SON AWAY FROM HER. God this ticks me off. She ought to have her sorry criminal butt thrown in jail and let HRS take her kid. That's what they'd be doing to an American citizen who broke the law!!!!!!!

If our government does that, "we become what we say we fight against," said the Rev. Robert Carney, a priest at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church on Tucson's East Side. "We will have become desensitized to the human being. We will have lost our capacity for compassion."

We fight for freedom, but abide by laws. If we were desensitized with no compassion she would have been executed by now, like many criminals in other countries. She can take her son with her....no one is stopping that. But she is acting like a brat who broke the rule and refuses to pay the consequences by hiding behind her "mama's skirt" (the church). What amazes me even more is that somehow these churches agree to aid criminals when the Bible points out we should follow the law of men. Hmmm.....contradiction, hypocrisy, ignorance?????

Originally Posted by crazybird

But if Fife is right, more people like Arellano will fight to keep their families together — inside or outside a church.

NO ONE IS TEARING THEM APART!!!!! NO ONE IS TAKING HER SON AWAY FROM HER. God this ticks me off. She ought to have her sorry criminal butt thrown in jail and let HRS take her kid. That's what they'd be doing to an American citizen who broke the law!!!!!!!

Who is the father of the child? Where is he? Did she deliberately get pregnant to produce and anchor baby?

She is illegal and her son should also be considered illegal. Send them both back to Mexico where they belong.

I think this is a high-profile "hot button" issue. I think all this is deliberate. I think this is a election game being played by the Church/La Raza types because she is sitting in a church with a high profile activist that is a retired Rev. from a Presbyterian church in a Methodist Shelter.

The La Raza types orchestrated this to garner pity and all that crap for their side. They want to get the Hispanics to the polls and they are playing this game to get there. Notice, that she is not a terribly unattractive person either.

I really don't want ICE going in after her. If they leave her in there, this will all settle down and get out of the spotlight before the election.

Dixie

Originally Posted by Dixie

I think this is a high-profile "hot button" issue. I think all this is deliberate. I think this is a election game being played by the Church/La Raza types because she is sitting in a church with a high profile activist that is a retired Rev. from a Presbyterian church in a Methodist Shelter.

I think you are correct. I think more of this will start popping up soon to test the system, see the reaction of government officials, general public, etc.....
It's all part of a ploy probably created by La Raza and other pro-illegal groups.

I agree Dixie, it does seem awfully contrived. Did anyone see the photo of the guy putting heavy chains and locks on this storefront church door the other day? Obviously if ICE were to go there it wouldn't simply be a matter of walking in and arresting this women. Indeed, it's pretty clear the pro's were setting the stage for a "show down" which would have included footage of ICE having to gain entry by force. What better way to tug at the heartstrings of mothers everywhere?

If our government does that, "we become what we say we fight against," said the Rev. Robert Carney, a priest at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church on Tucson's East Side. "We will have become desensitized to the human being. We will have lost our capacity for compassion."

Where is the compassion for the Americans who are losing their jobs, thus the ability to provide for their own families, because of this massive influx of cheap, illegal labor? If our economy to so "vibrant" because they provide an endless supply of cheap labor, then why are some heavily infested states (like Delaware) seeing a record number of home foreclosures? I would imagine many of those homes were owned by displaced construction industry workers.

Americans have not lost our capacity for compassion, we simply reserve it for those deserving of it.