Thread: Faith Communities Call for Halt on I.C.E. Immigration Raids

Religious intervention at it's finest?

Faith Communities Call for Halt on I.C.E. Immigration Raids

As clergy in cities impacted by I.C.E. raids we object to federal government action that has broken up families, left children abandoned and traumatized whole communities. Our congregations are committed to protecting those in need, but we should not need to shelter young children asking "Where is my mother? Where is my father?" While there are different perspectives on how to fix our immigration system, we can all agree that the recent mass raids have harmed the stability of our communities and families. This is the wrong way to enforce immigration rules. Those who have been detained and those left behind are mothers, fathers, children, wives, husbands, and others responsible for holding families together. Nearly two-thirds of all undocumented families have children who are U.S. citizens by birth, including many of the children left behind after the recent raids. Our shared respect for humanity and our faith in the promise of a better future calls us to do better. Faith leaders call for 1) President Bush to direct the Department Homeland Security to halt the raids immediately and to reunite families; and 2) Congress to hold hearings to investigate I.C.E. behavior. Let's honor God's call to protect children and not make them victims in the fight over immigration policy. If we work together as faith communities we can help find common ground that honors our nation's commitment to fairness and family.
Sincerely,
Fr. Richard Wilson, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish at St. James Church, New Bedford, MA
Rev. William Bradbury, Grace Episcopal Church, New Bedford, MA
Rev. David Hammett, Pilgrim United Church of Christ, New Bedford, MA
Fr. John Oliveira, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, New Bedford, MA
Fr. Stan Kolasa, Our Lady of the Assumption, New Bedford, MA
Fr. John Sullivan, St. Lawrence the Martyr, New Bedford, MA
United Interfaith Action (UIA), New Bedford, Massachusetts

(and the list of signatures continues from all across the US!!!! - article 7 pages in total)

http://www.piconetwork.org/linkeddocume ... atures.pdf

As far as I'm concerned, churches that support illegal immigration can render unto Caesar.

The churches are asking us not to enforce laws against lawbreakers. Why are churches still tax-exempt?

we should not need to shelter young children




Neither should we. But, since they've brought it up......it's time we began demanding to see hard evidence of all of these "abandoned" children.

Are they being housed by the states? Orphanages? Where are they?

If there was a grain of truth to these allegations LaRaza, the churches, Obama, Hillary, Calderon, and everybody and their brother would be parading them around for news cameras. The papers and magazines would be packed with stories and photos outlining the plight of these children.

They don't exist, plain and simple.

As clergy in cities impacted by I.C.E. raids we object to federal government action

As an American citizen, I object to any church that interferes in the duty of our federal government to enforce its laws.

That goes for Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Universal, Pentacostal, Muslim, Buddhist, Baptist, Hindus, Jews, and all other religious denominations that presume to oppress and convert this government to simple ethics instead of a nation of laws.

Originally Posted by ShockedinCalifornia

As clergy in cities impacted by I.C.E. raids we object to federal government action

As an American citizen, I object to any church that interferes in the duty of our federal government to enforce its laws.

That goes for Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Universal, Pentacostal, Muslim, Buddhist, Baptist, Hindus, Jews, and all other religious denominations that presume to oppress and convert this government to simple ethics instead of a nation of laws.

Well said!

Originally Posted by safari

...we can all agree that the recent mass raids have harmed the stability of our communities and families. Those who have been detained and those left behind are mothers, fathers, children, wives, husbands, and others responsible for holding families together. Nearly two-thirds of all undocumented families have children who are U.S. citizens by birth, including many of the children left behind after the recent raids.

It's interesting to note that those people from New Bedford, Massachusetts, fail to mention the fact that the jobs that were held by Illegals prior to the raid in March of 2007 were quickly taken by many U.S. Taxpaying Citizens; a majority of whom were of Portuguese descent and who were denied those jobs by the employer in favor of Illegals. In effect, those raids helped U.S. Taxpaying Citizens gain jobs that they were not able to have because the employer hired Illegals instead. The Portuguese community in New Bedford is correct in the belief that Illegal Aliens from Mexico are given special treatment. Many people of the Portuguese Community feel that if they had to come over here legally, learn the English language and follow the rules like most every other immigrant into the United States, why should the Mexicans be treated any differently? I say "bravo" to the members of New Bedford's Portuguese Community for standing up and speaking out against Illegal Immigration.

In regard to "those who have been detained and those left behind are mothers, fathers, children, wives, husbands, and others responsible for holding families together. Nearly two-thirds of all undocumented families have children who are U.S. citizens by birth, including many of the children left behind after the recent raids," we should keep in mind that most of those mothers, fathers, wives and husbands have come here ILLEGALLY! They broke our laws to enter this country and then they hold up their children and family members in defense of their actions! In regard to the children, most of those children who were born of Illegal Aliens in the United States became citizens as anchor babies so that their parents could attach the social services system and live off of the U.S. Taxpayers; or else, their parents take jobs that should have gone to U.S. Taxpaying Citizens.

I notice that the primary signatures listed in this item are from Roman Catholic Churches in and around New Bedford.

Here is a solution to the whole problem: Since the Roman Catholic Church is telling the U.S. Taxpaying Citzens what to do with their tax money, then those Roman Catholic Churches should become taxpaying entities themselves. By advocating the continuation of Illegal Immigration, those churches are therefore complicit in supporting the dismissal of our national security, our national economy and the job security of U.S. Taxpaying Citizens in that city. As such, then those Roman Catholic Churches should lose their non-profit status and be made to pay taxes like anyone else! After all, the Roman Catholic Church is reputed to be one of the richest organizations in the world. Taxes on the Roman Catholic Church would more than compensate for the expenditures caused by Illegal Immigration and could very well go a long way to ending poverty in many countries where it has control.

It's something to think about, isn't it?

I.C.E is doing their jobs when they conduct raids, and now the faith communities are calling for a halt? They can call, but no one is listening.

Faith Communities ought to OBEY THE LAW.

ICE is doing its job. Let them be.

Put them in TAX status NOW!!!!


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