Thread: KC-area churches pledge to shelter illegal immigrants

KC-area churches pledge to shelter illegal immigrants

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Several churches in the Kansas City area are offering sanctuary to illegal immigrants facing deportation if they have American-born children, clean criminal records and have worked for years in the United States.

The churches are part of the New Sanctuary Movement, through which churches nationwide have let illegal immigrants live on their properties in the hope that immigration officials won't raid churches to make arrests.

Tuesday night, about 100 people gathered near a billboard on Interstate 70 to announce the New Sanctuary Movement Coalition of Greater Kansas City.

"It is the very soul of our nation that is at stake" in how we treat families in which one or both parents are illegal immigrants but the children are American citizens, said the Rev. Rick Behrens of Grandview Park Presbyterian Church. "We are losing our soul as we separate children from parents."

None of the Kansas City churches has sheltered an illegal immigrant yet.

The churches say providing shelter isn't against the law because church members wouldn't interfere with agents coming onto church property.

But Kris Kobach, a University of Missouri-Kansas City law professor and chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, said it is a violation of federal law to knowingly harbor an illegal immigrant.

"There are many points of view about the role of churches in our society and how much civic engagement there should be," said Kobach, of Kansas City, Kan. "But I think one area that until very recently has been pretty clear is, churches shouldn't themselves violate federal law."

Last month, immigration agents arrested Elvira Arellano, an illegal immigrant, after she left a church in Chicago where she had lived for about a year after being scheduled to be deported. Agents arrested her in Los Angeles with her American-born son after the two traveled there to participate in a pro-immigration rally.

Arellano was sent to Mexico, while her son stayed in the United States.

Last weekend, immigrant advocates and anti-illegal immigration activists clashed outside a California church that is protecting an illegal immigrant from Mexico who is married to a U.S. citizen and has three American-born children.

The woman went into hiding after immigration officials ordered her deported.

Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com

http://www.hdnews.net/Story/k1000_BC_MO ... 09_26_0461

well it looks like I will be busy then!

Anyone else from around KC reading this pm me.

Misguided well intentioned fools. "Church of the Liberal Agenda."

im from Emporia but live in Dallas now. I have lots of friends up that way. let me know the churches and ill swing by when im in town