Thread: OR: Area churches decide whether or not to aid illegal immig

Raid makes debate over sanctuary real
Ethics - Area churches decide whether or not to aid illegal immigrants
Friday, June 15, 2007
ANGIE CHUANG and NANCY HAUGHT
The Oregonian
It's a question that vexes many in the often-silent middle of the immigration debate: What is legal -- and what is right?

That dilemma permeates a decision that many Portland-area churches have grappled with after this week's raid on the Fresh Del Monte Produce plant. In community-room meetings and in the pulpit this Sunday, church leaders will be reflecting on whether they should provide sanctuary for illegal immigrants.

Wednesday night, some local church representatives met and began drafting an e-mail list of churches with entries like "open to those needing shelter" or "can provide food, money."

Augustana Lutheran Church in Portland has officially signed on with the New Sanctuary Movement, a national effort to shelter people facing deportation. Others are contemplating that move.

Some churches have decided not to offer help, citing their members' discomfort with legal or liability issues or a lack of space and resources.

Tuesday's raid appears to be a tipping point, said David Leslie, executive director of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon. "In every congregation there are people sitting in the pews who have different opinions and life experiences, from 'open borders' to 'it's the law,' " Leslie said. "This raid has made the abstract real."

A movement grows

Against a backdrop of stepped-up immigration enforcement nationally, local church representatives in recent months have had regular discussions about joining the national New Sanctuary Movement, an interfaith coalition modeled after a 1980s initiative by churches that sheltered Central Americans who were fleeing death squads.

The movement asks churches to sign a pledge to give shelter to those facing deportation, particularly those who could be separated from American-citizen children. It emerged in response to the August 2006 case of a Chicago woman, Elvira Arellano, who took refuge in a Methodist church while facing deportation and separation from her 7-year-old son born in the United States.

When that action became public, other churches around the country began to declare themselves sanctuaries. Participants believe that providing humanitarian assistance does not violate the law as long as they do so openly and do not hide illegal immigrants. Immigration police historically have not entered places of worship.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hasn't taken action in Arellano's case or against the movement. A spokeswoman provided a statement Thursday saying that while the agency has authority to enforce the law at any place and any time, "we do it at appropriate times and at appropriate places."

In the aftermath of the Portland raid, immigration officials say they are not aware of any minors at risk or in inappropriate situations. A few dozen of those detained at the plant who have children were temporarily released on humanitarian reasons, and advocates are negotiating on behalf of more parents.

Andrea Cano, executive director of Oregon Farmworker Ministries, said accounts of families divided -- and the prospect of American-born children having their parents deported to Latin America -- moved many congregations on the fence.

"Now, they have no choice. They have to decide," Cano said. "For many, this was the time to be a good Samaritan."

Not all churches came to that conclusion.

The Rev. Mark Hoelter, pastor of the Trinity Lutheran School and Church in Portland, said some members of the congregation would not be comfortable working with illegal immigrants even if they may not express that uneasiness publicly.

"I'm sure that people, before we can talk or decide something like that, will want to know what are the legal costs," Hoelter said. "What would it mean? Would there be possible sanctions against the church? I'd want to know that myself."

He noted that the church, in the Cully neighborhood of Northeast Portland, has extensive Spanish-language outreach services and plans a forum to further discuss the issue.

Pastor Ray Young, one of about 30 pastors serving East Hill Church in Gresham, said the Foursquare mega church would not be offering sanctuary.

"We go by the general policy that Scripture tells us we need to respect civil law whether we like it or not," he said.

Other church leaders said they sympathized with affected families but did not have enough room or the resources.

Taking a stand

Archbishop John G. Vlazny, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in western Oregon, on Wednesday asked Catholic parishes and individuals to assist and support families affected by the raid.

In an uncharacteristic statement on an event not directly related to the church, Vlazny condemned Tuesday's immigration raid as "an affront" to traditional American values: "Human life and human dignity are at stake."

Lynne Smouse Lopez, pastor of Ainsworth United Church of Christ in Portland, said her congregation is on the verge of becoming an official New Sanctuary site. In the meantime, they are offering housing and help to those affected by the Del Monte raids.

But the process to decide was long and painstaking, a discussion that covered everything from the church's liability for families to Jesus' civil disobedience in Scripture.

"Certainly our church isn't unanimous in this," Smouse Lopez said. "For me, it's a clear faith issue. Jesus believed that an extravagant welcome and love were called for, without drawing borders.

"How can we draw the line?"

Angie Chuang: 503-221-8219; angiechuang@news.oregonian.com. Nancy Haught: 503-294-7625; nancyhaught@news.oregonian.com

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When churchs start breaking the law, it is time for them to pay taxes to assist in the burden that they are putting on the American taxpayers. No special benefit. Just the 33% that I have to pay.

It is also time for their parishoners to examine whether they want their contributions to the church to be spent harboring criminals and promoting issues that are contrary to the best interest of our country.