Church celebrates sanctuary for immigrants

Church celebrates sanctuary for immigrants

Posted: Mar 25, 2012 7:22 PM
Updated: Mar 25, 2012 11:02 PM


TUCSON - The Southside Presbyterian Church celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Sanctuary Movement Sunday.

On March 24, 1982 their pastor John Fife announced the church would be a sanctuary for immigrants from Central America.

"It felt exhausting," Fife said. "It took 10 years and a great deal of sacrifice."

More than 13,000 immigrants slept on the church floor in the next decade, according to Fife.

"All of that meant a great deal of work, a great deal of anxiety, a great deal of risk," Fife said, "but in the end, a lot of lives were saved."

The movement spread to more than 500 congregations all over the world, according to the church.

It eventually caused the end of the deportation of immigrants from Guatemala and El Salvador, according to the church.

In light of the anniversary, they are reinventing the message for today's government.

"When their policies lead to death and suffering," Fife said, "then it's up to the people of God to resist that."

Fife said it is a human rights tragedy for immigrants to die in the desert because of the nation's enforcement policies.

Some people like Tyler Mott with the Pima County Young Republican Club think the church's message is misguided and enforcement should not be scaled down.

"If we relaxed on the border, there would be more deaths," Mott said. "So we have to have a common sense approach to securing the border."

Offering water, food and medical care to people in the desert only makes the problem worse, according to Mott.

"We want to have people immigrate here," Mott said, "but we want to have people immigrate here because they want to become part of the society, become US citizens and to live the American Dream."

Church celebrates sanctuary for immigrants | KVOA.com | Tucson, Arizona

"Fife said it is a human rights tragedy for immigrants to die in the desert because of the nation's enforcement policies."

It is a tragedy that their own country doesn't take care of them. It is a tragedy that illegals put themselves in such positions where there are consequences to pay. The nation NEEDS enforcement policies.


I had a supervisor from I think Gautamala who was a pastor of a church and she always brought people in from her country. Any time there was a position open at work, she would bring one in, barely speaking a word of english. At the same time many of us had family members and friends needing jobs and they got turned away! She stayed in this country for many years and is now back in her home country living in a big house on the ocean. They use us to better their lives alright, but in their own country!

They are talking about ILLEGALS, Not Immigrants...Because a Legal Immigrant WOULDN'T be having these problems!

Illegals are NOT Immigrants! Get it straight.

Time for this church to lose its tax free status.

They bring them in and have "advisers" that show them the welfare ropes and get them signed up.

If they bring them in they should sponsor these people and SUPPORT them if they need support for as long as they are here. Yet, they bring them in bring them to the public trough.

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