Thread: Bishops file suit against Alabama Immigration law !

Bishops filing suit claiming Alabama's immigration law violates freedom of religion (Video at link)


Christian leaders in Alabama are fighting back against a tough new immigration law set to take effect in a few weeks.

The new law makes it a crime for an illegal immigrant to apply for any work. School districts will have to report on their students' immigration status. It will also be a crime to give rides to illegal immigrants or harbor them.

It's the last part that has four bishops from three Christian denominations in court. They have filed suit to block the law, saying it prevents them from freely practicing their religion.

This morning on American Morning, CNN's Carol Costello speaks with Bishop Henry Parsley, who helped file the suit. Carol also talks with Mark Krikorian, Executive Director of the Center for Immmigration Studies, on why he supports the bill.
http://am.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/16/bish ... -religion/

Alabama Churches File Suit, Claim Immigration Law Violates Religious Freedom Rights E-mail
Written by Don Byrd
Monday, 01 August 2011

In a lawsuit filed earlier today, representatives of Alabama's Roman Catholic, Episcopalian and Methodist churches claimed the state's new immigration law unlawfully restricts their ability to exercise their faith. The Birmingham News' Kent Faulk offers quotes from the filing.

According to the lawsuit, "the bishops have reason to fear that administering of religious sacraments, which are central to the Christian faith, to known undocumented persons may be criminalized under this law."
...
"Motivated by God's mandate that the faithful are humbly bound to welcome and care for all people, the leaders of the Episcopal, Methodist and Roman Catholic Churches of Alabama respectfully request this Court to stop the enforcement of Alabama's Anti-Immigration Law,"
...
"If enforced, Alabama's Anti-Immigration Law will make it a crime to follow God's command to be Good Samaritans," according to the lawsuit.

Bloomberg's coverage adds this important statement:


[b] The law “interferes with the biblical imperative of hospitality which our churches have adopted and encoded in various documents of governance,â€

REVOKE THEIR RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION TAX STATUS!

Can't have it both ways now can we? According to progressives, religion has no place in politics and THIS is a perfect example of a particular religion inserting its will into American politics with a position that is AGAINST the will of 80% of the American population.

Hospitality and aiding/abetting unlawful actions are not the same thing. Until the 'church' realizes the difference, they should not be exempt from- in the words of true progressives - 'paying their fair share'.

Any American citizen who continues to contribute to these churches to fund their assault on our country, economy and culture is a traitor.

Cut off the contributions and cut them off at the knees. And demand that these churches no longer enjoy tax free status. They have been blessed long enough.

[quote]“It aims to shut the doors of our churches and social ministries, against our wills, to a whole class of people, denying them access to such basic human needs as food, clothing, shelter, and, most importantly, worship of God.â€

Here's one that totally crosses the line:

Ministers are alarmed by immigration laws and compelled by compassion: Jarvis DeBerry
Published: Tuesday, August 16, 2011, 9:00 AM
By Jarvis DeBerry
The Times-Picayune

My colleague Manuel Torres, who recently wrote about his excitement at being sworn in as an American citizen, will now have a harder time proving he's in America legally.

Before he was sworn in -- that is, when he was still a citizen of Nicaragua -- his green card legitimized his presence. But he's an American now, so what does he have to show? The same thing I'd have if a police officer barked for proof that I was here legally: nothing.

Like a third of Americans, I have a passport, but that's too valuable a document to keep in my pocket. Ditto my birth certificate. It's doubtful that more than a handful of Americans could, on demand, prove their right to be here.

But not to worry. Those of us who don't speak with foreign accents can rest easy knowing such proof will never be required of us.

Lawmaking bodies across the United States, including our own in Baton Rouge, competed in 2010 and 2011 to determine which state could create the most hostile environment for Latinos, the perennial focus of the illegal immigration debate. Arizona looked like it would win, what with its requirement that law enforcement officials check the immigration status of everybody they stop during criminal investigations.

But then came Alabama. Like their counterparts in Arizona, lawmakers there decided that police should check the status of those they stop for other reasons. But they went much further than that. They decided that fighting illegal immigration requires the criminalization of compassion.

The new law, signed by Gov. Robert Bentley in June, makes it a crime to give rides to undocumented immigrants and a crime to rent them property. Some Christian leaders in the state say the law makes it "a crime to follow God's command to be Good Samaritans," and they have announced their plans to disobey it.

Methodist Bishop William Willimon, Episcopalian Bishop Henry N. Parsley, Catholic Bishop Robert J. Baker and Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi jointly filed a lawsuit this month challenging their state's now codified inhospitality.

"I've had people write me and call me a liberal,'' Willimon told The Birmingham News. "It used to be conservatives that believed the government should not interfere with churches. It's remarkable the way this law is criminalizing law-abiding citizens.''

In that regard, Alabama's new law is appallingly similar to 1850's Fugitive Slave Act, which essentially outlawed abolitionism -- even in the so-called free states. People north of the Mason-Dixon line were no longer permitted to give refuge to people fleeing slavery, but were instead expected to actively participate in the fugitives' return to bondage. If they harbored a known escapee, they could be fined $1,000 and jailed for six months.

Imagine being conscripted as a government agent, being required to enforce a law that you find mean-spirited, xenophobic and contrary to your understanding of God's instructions. That's where the above Alabamians find themselves. It's why they believe it's their Christian obligation to resist.

They're not by themselves. In a letter that opens with a reference to Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter From a Birmingham Jail," more than 150 Alabama ministers signed an open letter to Gov. Bentley and Alabama lawmakers reiterating King's central point that Christians are duty-bound to disobey unjust laws.

Louisiana lawmakers often feel duty-bound to mimic other states' benighted ideas, which is why what's happening in Alabama should frighten us. Bad ideas are contagious, and Louisiana seems to always get infected.

Rep. Ernest Wooton of Belle Chasse tried but failed to get an Alabama-like law passed in Baton Rouge this past session. He's prevented by term limits from running again, but somebody looking to score cheap political points will surely give it another try.

And that will put everybody with certain accents on edge -- even if they're as American as you and me.


Thousands of protesters listen to activists speak as they attend a rally at the Arizona Capitol voicing their displeasure on Sunday, April, 25, 2010, over the Friday bill signing of SB1070 by the Arizona governor, in Phoenix. The sweeping measure makes it a crime under state law to be in the country illegally, and would require local law enforcement to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they are in the country illegally.

Jarvis DeBerry can be reached at jdeberry@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3355.

http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/ ... immig.html

RELATED

Alabama church leaders enter immigration law fray
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/1 ... ?hpt=hp_t2

By the CNN Wire Staff

(CNN) - The latest voice in the debate over Alabama's tough new anti-illegal immigration law - considered the most restrictive in the nation - comes not from the usual activists but from a more traditionally conservative group: church leaders.

Leaders from the Episcopal, Methodist and Catholic churches of Alabama sued the state's governor, its attorney general and a district attorney this month over the law, which is to go into effect September 1.

One of the plaintiffs, Episcopal Bishop Henry Parsley Jr., said Tuesday that religious leaders were worried over a provision in the law that will make transporting or harboring unauthorized immigrants a crime.

"The Bible is clear that we are supposed to love the stranger and welcome the aliens," Parsley said. "And we feel that this law could make some of our ministries criminal activities."

Supporters of the law say it is ludicrous to imagine that a religious leader or church member would be arrested for giving a hand to those in the country illegally.

But the lawsuit states that the law is vague and does not make it clear what activities fall under the scope of the restrictions.

According to the lawsuit, "churches will perpetrate crimes by knowingly providing food, clothing, shelter and transportation to those in need without first ensuring compliance with the stipulations of the anti-immigration law. Moreover, the ministry of the churches, by providing such services to known undocumented persons, is criminalized under this law."

Another argument the church leaders make is that if compliance with the law means ascertaining people's immigration status, it would represent an infringement of their rights.

"We feel it would interfere with our freedom of expression, of our faith, and living our faith and caring for others," Parsley said.

Parsley was joined in the suit by Methodist Bishop William Willimon and two Catholic leaders, Archbishop Thomas Rodi and Bishop Robert Baker.

"I'm afraid this is a phony issue," said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which supports the law.

"The opponents of enforcing immigration law and supporters of amnesty for illegal immigrants are using this as an emotional issue, raising this phony idea that a nun ladling out soup to an illegal alien is going to be wrestled to the ground by a SWAT team," he said.

No one, including the plaintiffs, believes that a priest or nun would be arrested for carrying out their religious duties, he said.

Human smugglers are the target of the provisions on transporting and harboring unauthorized immigrants, not the clergy, Krikorian said.

Citing the Bible to argue against the law "is a pernicious use of scripture," he said.

Indeed, the lawsuit cites scripture to make its point.

"If enforced, the law will place Alabama church members in the untenable position of verifying individuals' immigration documentation before being able to follow God's word to 'love thy neighbor as thyself,' " the lawsuit states.

Originally Posted by florgal

REVOKE THEIR RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION TAX STATUS!

====================================

EXACTLY.

And PUT THEM IN JAIL for breaking the law

US IMMIGRATION LAW USC
WHY is it that our Federal Government is NOT enforcing the very laws passed by voters, the Congress, and the Senate that protect Americans from invasion?

Why is it that organized religion is EXEMPT?

Why is it that public education is EXEMPT?

Are federal government agencies failing to enforce immigration laws and protect Americans EXEMPT?

One thing is for certain, and that is that Americans are NOT EXEMPT from the social, economic, and criminal upheaval this invasion is wreaking on each and every corner of this nation.

The obvious REALLY IS the obvious!

U.S. Immigration Law

The U.S. immigration laws require deportation of an illegal alien if the alien:

1. has been convicted of an aggravated felony
2. has not resided in the United States for a contiguous period of seven years
3. was not a lawful permanent resident for a contiguous period of five years
4. would not have been admissible to the United States on security grounds

This applies to the majority of illegal aliens found in gangs. In order to prove evidence of residence lawfully, they would need to show a visa or other federal document allowing their entry into the United States or an approved application for permanent residence in the United States. Few if any illegal aliens have such documents and only a handful of gang members.

Section 274 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, USC 1324 states:

A person (including a group of persons, business, organization, or local government) commits a federal felony when she or he:

* assists an alien s/he should reasonably know is illegally in the U.S. or who lacks employment authorization, by transporting, sheltering, or assisting him or her to obtain employment, or

* encourages that alien to remain in the U.S. by referring him or her to an employer or by acting as employer or agent for an employer in any way, or

* knowingly assists illegal aliens due to personal convictions.

City Sanctuary regulations circumvent the law by adopting a don't ask, don't tell policy. A police officer who follows the city regulation to not question a person who he or she suspects is an illegal alien due to probable cause (as in was witness to a previous arrest and subsequent disclosure of illegal alien status or deportation) has placed the officer in violation of Federal Law, and thus that city regulation conflicts with U.S. Immigration law.

It is the responsibility of the U.S. Attorney General, when notified of an entity acting in contravention of U.S. law, to investigate and if necessary bring such organizations before a federal grand jury for possible indictment.

Failure of the U.S. Attorney General to do so, is in of itself, a felony.