Thread: {Sob}Church Houses Mother in U.S. Illegally

The Signal
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Church Houses Mother in U.S. Illegally
By Parimal M. Rohit
Signal Staff Writer



The Rev. John Paton of United Church of Christ in Simi Valley speaks at the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center on Sunday to tell the story of and garner support for an illegal immigrant the church is housing.


For the Rev. John Paton of United Church of Christ in Simi Valley, the choice was clear. If he did not help a mother by allowing her to rent a house at his congregation, she would be deported to Mexico, separating her from her 9-month-old son.

Paton visited the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center on Sunday to share Liliana's story with approximately 20 members of the Social and Environmental Justice Team of the Unitarian Universalists.

Liliana, who would not release her last name, is a mother of three American citizen children, a wife to a naturalized husband and a daughter to a family that legally emigrated from Mexico to the United States. Unfortunately she was not allowed to enter the United State legally and join her family, so she came across the border as an undocumented immigrant.

Now she faces the prospect of being deported back to Mexico, thousands of miles away from her children and family.

Thanks to Paton, Liliana has a fighting chance to remain in the United States through a humanitarian visa.

The 29-year-old Michoacan native was caught trying to cross the border from Tijuana to San Diego about nine years ago. She earlier tried entering the United States with a student visa, but was turned down. Liliana was trying to join the rest of her family, who lawfully entered the United States the year before while Liliana stayed back an extra year to finish her last year of high school.

After being caught, Liliana obtained false documents to cross the border in a different place before settling in Oxnard with her husband, who is a U.S. citizen, works two jobs and is a homeowner, and their three young children, also citizens.

Several years later, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents caught up with her. They came to her home in May demanding to see proof of her citizenship. Since she was unable to provide such proof, the authorities informed her she was to be immediately deported back to Mexico. Yet since Liliana and her husband could not make alternative arrangements to care for their children, the agents granted the couple a five-day reprieve.

Now she is in a legal battle to avoid deportation to prevent being separated from her children, which is the only legal claim she can make to remain in the United States.

Since, she has become part of a national movement, living in faith communities through the New Sanctuary Movements. The 80-member United Church of Christ in Simi Valley was the first congregation in Ventura County to open its doors to undocumented immigrants seeking assistance.

"Our church is not taking a stand on immigration law," said Paton. "We are helping one person find justice."

The United Church of Christ has been instrumental to helping Liliana. Paton's congregation has a long history of fighting for civil rights and liberties. Issues that the church has involved itself with have ranged from gay rights to racial equality. They can now add immigration rights to the list.

"Here is a person who needs and deserves help," added the Rev. Ricky Hoyt of the Unitarian Universalists.

Liliana had a brief stint at a faith community in East Pasadena before the Ventura County Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice, which was organizing a local sanctuary movement at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Long Beach. During her three month stay, she never left the sanctuary while learning English and seeing her family on a limited basis.

In August, the Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice brought Liliana and her infant son to the United Church of Christ, providing her an opportunity to be closer to her family, who still live in Oxnard.

While she cannot leave the house, she does attend weekly services at the congregation, and her family does make the short trip from Oxnard to visit her regularly.

"We are housing her, and we are announcing it publicly," said Paton. "We are housing someone who is supposed to be in Mexico. But there are no laws against renting a room or home to a Mexican citizen."

Paton and his congregation are not alone in the fight. Other Ventura County churches have helped, and the Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice is providing financial assistance for Liliana's rent and expenses. They have also retained legal services to help her get a humanitarian visa.

In light of the sanctuary movement, several people have expressed concern whether the church's actions are legal. For example, Simi Valley mayor Paul Miller contacted the United Church of Christ to inform them that they were harboring an illegal immigrant, and the city's police department would assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in deportation efforts if asked.

However, the church and other sanctuary movement leaders respond that they are not harboring immigrants or breaking any laws. The names of the immigrants in the sanctuary are known to immigration authorities.

New Sanctuary Movement leaders hope their cause provides enough protection and time for attorneys to find a way to stop deportation proceedings.

Liliana hopes her attorneys can put an end to her deportation proceedings so she can be close to her family. In the meantime, she has found some support in the Santa Clarita Valley

"Each human being has a story," said Judy Stewart of Valencia, who listened in on Paton's talk at the Senior Center. "They are human beings."

prohit@the-signal.com

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"Our church is not taking a stand on immigration law," said Paton. "We are helping one person find justice."

You are taking a stand on Immigration law and you are breaking the law.

The Rev. John Paton needs to be arrested NOW and .....

the United Church of Christ in Simi Valley needs to loose tax exempt status for crossing the line as far as the separation of the church and state and knowingly commit a crime by harboring an Illegal Alien

Now she is in a legal battle to avoid deportation to prevent being separated from her children, which is the only legal claim she can make to remain in the United States.

Oh geez....here we go again. Didn't this stupid woman learn anything from the whole Elvira fiasco?

Send her home, and make her take her litter with her.

Paton and his congregation are not alone in the fight. Other Ventura County churches have helped, and the Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice is providing financial assistance for Liliana's rent and expenses

providing financial assistance for Liliana's rent and expenses = breaking the law

The government needs to very boldly go into a few of these outlaw churches and arrest these scofflaws. That would put an end to this phony sancuary crap once and for all.

My other question is... I wonder if the agents that choose not to arrest her and instead let her stay home and close out her affairs and set up child care will be so trusting next time when they get a sob story?

Maybe its just me but whenever I hear codeword- "Economic Justice," I think Communist or at best Pinko weak wristed Liberal...

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