Thread: SOB Az groups want `compassionate` immigration talk

AZ groups want 'compassionate' immigration talk
June 16th, 2008 @ 6:11pm
by Bob McClay/KTAR; Associated Press

More than a dozen religious leaders on Monday called on Arizona's elected officials and community leaders to turn what they call a fear-based immigration debate into a more compassionate dialogue.

The mostly evangelical leaders wrote a letter to the governor, House speaker and Senate president urging them to seek out and enact tangible solutions to the nation's immigration woes.

``Unfortunately, a number of local and state officials have responded by engaging in a public conversation that is dividing our community, confusing enforcement procedures and creating an unwelcoming spirit for many seeking to make Arizona their home,'' according to the letter.

``The debate continues to focus on broad fears and assumptions concerning the complex issue of immigration.''

Barrett Marson, a spokesman for Republican House Speaker Jim Weiers, said in a statement that while they had not received the letter, legislation related to illegal immigration passed in the House ``seeks to eliminate any fear among the state's residents,''

``In fact, the House bills seek to ensure law and order is preserved and all citizens are protected,'' he said. ``People obeying the laws should have no fear from law enforcement.''

Jeanine L'Ecuyer, a spokeswoman for Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano, said the group wasn't ``too far afield'' from the governor on the issue. ``We look forward to hearing from them in constructive ways as we go forward,'' L'Ecuyer said.

Gary Kinnaman, pastor at large of the 6,000-member Word of Grace church in Mesa, said the faith leaders are not advocating a specific plan to address illegal immigration, but they do support discussing a path to citizenship for the nation's 12 million illegal immigrants.

``No one is illegal in the eyes of God,'' Kinnaman said. ``Regardless of how we stand politically and how we see this issue, there are real people in the crossfire. Somehow we have to affirm the need for law and order, but by the same token, we've got to do something that's compassionate.''

As a result of failed immigration policies, Hispanics are being pulled over for minor traffic violations, families are being separated by deportations, some workers in the country illegally are not getting paid, others are dying in the desert and some are being held against their will by violent human smugglers, said Kit Danley, president of Neighborhood Ministries, a west Phoenix nonprofit

``The result of all this has been a community terrified to do the normal things they've been doing for years - taking their kids to school, going to the grocery store, driving from here to there,'' she said. ``We cannot remain silent when faced with such injustices.''

Kinnaman said he anticipates some backlash within his church and other evangelical churches for their stance on immigration.

``It's such a volatile issue,'' he said. ``I can't imagine somebody won't be upset, but it's something that has to be said.''

The leaders said church attendance is down because many worshippers fear police will raid Spanish services.








http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=868613

And just what the hell are you going to do with the next 12 million after you give this 12 million amnesty,or does your bleeding heart ever expect the laws to be enforced, because the border is still wide open.

No one should put themselves or their organization in a position where their existance is threatened by the failure of anther person to successfully commit a crime, not even a church. If the existance of the church is threatened it is their fault.

Political; and the church should not be allowed their tax exemption status.

Churches are not to run the government!

Separation of church and state would be nice.

What's good for a church may not be good for a country.

I have a friend who says that her religion does not believe in war, but her husband was trucking some government war machinery. So I asked her how does she draw that line, (around her when needed.)

Plus, they do not vote because they say it is in God's power who gets elected.

(Brainwashing if you asked me.)

I have another close super nice friend who has had minister training (possibly a degree), but he cannot find a church in the area! Something is wrong with him or the churches?

How about some compassion for the American people?

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www.revolutionmarch.com

www.campaignforliberty.com

legalize 12 million and see what happens. They will not be able to keep their slave wages jobs because they will be protected by rights we all enjoy so the employers will fire them and hire newly arrived illegals and we will go from 12 or 20 million to 50 to 80 million illegals in 10 years and will then be really shafted and i will move to Brazil!

The evil SOBs are not the illegals but the employers who are destroying our country.

YES, YES, AND YES! Way to go everyone, I totally agree. Why aren't we running the government? Smart money people! Greed? Selling out American? is the sport of the day for many politicians. Politicians should work for free! It should not be a profession.

You do know that they, the politicians, have great retirement plans. The least they will get is $10,000 annually at age 62 in North Carolina. Do they work harder than we the citizens? Elect new, new politicians and we will save money! I think they have to serve two terms to get the pension?

Ministers press for migrant compassion
Tone down hurtful words in debate, lawmakers told
by Daniel González - Jun. 17, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
A group of religious leaders on Monday called on elected officials in Arizona to move from what it described as a hateful tone in the debate about illegal immigration and to adopt a more compassionate approach.

The more than 20 pastors wrote a letter to the state's top officials, urging them to consider immigration laws that preserve human dignity.

"We must uphold the law, but when laws are used to raid churches and church events and separate children from families, then it indicates that something is wrong with these laws," said Gary Kinnaman, pastor-at-large of the 6,000-member Word of Grace church in Mesa.

The letter is noteworthy because many of the pastors who signed it come from largely White, conservative, evangelical Christian churches. It follows a letter from other mainstream Protestant and Jewish faiths condemning recent raids by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

In the recent past, most of the outcry against immigration crackdowns has come from Latino religious leaders or from pastors on the left side of the religious spectrum, experts say.

The pastors said in the letter that they were concerned by the mean-spirited response that many local and state officials have taken toward illegal immigrants after Congress failed to pass reforms last year. They said the decision to speak out is based on Bible Scriptures and the teachings of Christ to "welcome the stranger."

The letter was sent to Gov. Janet Napolitano, Senate President Tim Bee and House Speaker James Weiers and the Arizona State Legislature.

It gave no specifics, and the pastors declined to give any, but the letter was clearly aimed at Arpaio's ongoing crackdowns as well as at a steady stream of laws passed or introduced in the Legislature to drive illegal immigrants from Arizona.

Last week, sheriff's deputies raided three Valley fun spots and arrested nine people as part of an investigation into illegal hiring under the state's employer-sanctions law. The raid came just weeks after a series of crime sweeps by the Sheriff's Office, mostly in largely Latino neighborhoods. They resulted in the arrests of scores of illegal immigrants.

"Unfortunately, a number of local and state officials have responded by engaging in a public conversation that is dividing our community, confusing enforcement procedures and creating an unwelcoming spirit for many seeking to make Arizona their home," the pastors wrote.

Arpaio has vowed to continue the crackdowns.

State Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, the author of many of the anti-illegal-immigration bills, denied that the laws have been mean-spirited.

"I have always said we must enforce our immigration laws with compassion but also with integrity and without apology," Pearce said.

He chastised the pastors for focusing on illegal immigrants and ignoring the crimes committed by such immigrants.

"Where is the compassion for the victims of people crossing the borders every day?" Pearce said.

Patty Kupfer is with America's Voice, a pro-immigrant group in Washington, D.C., that is pushing for comprehensive reform. She said White evangelical leaders in growing numbers are speaking against the harsh tone of the current immigration debate. The trend is significant because White evangelicals hold political clout among Republicans, who have spearheaded many of the recent get-tough proposals.

"I'm not saying they are the key to passing comprehensive immigration reform, but they are one of the keys," she said.

Still, many White evangelical pastors have remained silent about the issue for fear of alienating many of their conservative members, she said. The silence of some church leaders belies at times extensive efforts to reach out to Latinos, including undocumented immigrants. The Catholic Church, for example, is reaching out heavily to Latino immigrants, but Phoenix Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted has been criticized by some Latino leaders for not taking a more public stance against the crackdowns.

"We would like to see the bishop stand up and do more," said Hector Yturralde, president of We Are America, a pro-immigrant group and a member at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Scottsdale.

Church leaders declined to comment. Instead, they pointed to a pastoral letter Olmsted wrote calling for compassionate immigration reform and a statement he made in April on the diocese Web site denouncing Arpaio's sweeps.

Sandy Mason, pastor of Desert View Bible Church, a mostly White evangelical church in north Phoenix, is one of the pastors who signed the letter calling for more compassionate treatment of illegal immigrants. He said he has experienced a backlash from some members. Still, "to be silent is to be irresponsible," Mason said, "and to embarrass God."



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