Three congregations work to stop deportations New York City New York City has been a haven for immigrants for centuries, a fact manifest in the Metropolitan New York Synod: Twenty-three languages are spoken on any given Sunday among its 217 congregations in the five boroughs, Long Island and seven counties to the north. “Even some of those congregations founded 200 years ago still have the mother tongue for worship because we continue to have people crossing borders or planes arriving,” said Gary E. Mills, executive assistant to the bishop. But the area that has received millions upon millions of the “tired and poor” from around the world has in recent times been both derided and praised as a city of sanctuary. Last November, Americans watched as the idea was debated between Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani. Romney opposed what he called Giuliani’s welcome of undocumented immigrants when he was mayor.
But since last May, New York has been called a sanctuary city in another sense: It’s home to some of the first churches in the national New Sanctuary Movement to help immigrants facing expulsion from the U.S. ELCA pastors David H. Rommereim of Good Shepherd, Samuel Cruz of Trinity and Giovanny Sanchez of Del Espiritu Santo are leading these Brooklyn congregations in accompanying China native Joe Chen through his deportation hearings. Chen has lived in the U.S. for a dozen years and has a wife with a separate case. Their two young children are U.S. citizens. The family has started worshiping at all three churches. “If the parents are deported, the family faces being split up, and those values don’t sit right with the church,” Rommereim said. Seeking options to deportation The pastors accompany Chen to court dates and Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-ins, and they work with lawyers to find options. “We’re very careful that we’re following the rules of the land,” Rommereim said. “During the 1980s when local churches declared themselves sanctuaries for Central American refugees … sanctuary workers were willing to participate in civil disobedience and break federal laws because of their faith,” according to the Access to Justice Unit of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. In a November 2007 memo addressing legal concerns, LIRS President Ralston H. Deffenbaugh Jr. wrote: “Civil disobedience can be a powerful witness. ... [Nevertheless] Lutheran churches that consider engaging in sanctuary activities … should be fully aware of the very serious possible legal consequences, including criminal liability.” Rommereim was commissioned more than two years ago by former bishop Stephen P. Bouman to convene a committee on immigration to instruct synod clergy and lay people about such legal risks—for church and immigrant—and provide factual resources to congregations whether or not they can offer sanctuary. Much of the education at the committee’s seminars is “simply information about what is an undocumented person, what are their rights, how to be welcoming and, more important, how to look for help that’s available,” Mills said. Next year at every Metropolitan New York Synod conference, Rommereim hopes a lawyer and team from Lutheran agencies can inform rostered leaders and members about the issues in nonpartistan language. Many congregations in New York City have ministered for decades to undocumented members and friends. At Salam Arabic Lutheran Church , Brooklyn, one member’s house was raided last fall, and he was taken to a detention center in Pennsylvania, said Khader N. El-Yateem, the pastor. Released on bail, the Syrian man will return to court in May. And Heidi Neumark, pastor of Trinity of Manhattan Lutheran, where services are in Spanish and English and some members are undocumented, served 19 years at a Bronx church where two people were deported. These are only two such stories in the city of 8.2 million residents. “New York City can be kind of overwhelming,” Rommereim said. “But it never changes and will still be immigrant/migrant.” |
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| Stan Hunter - 3/18/2008 |
I am moved to speak to your article ‘Three congregation's work to stop deportations' in the 08 March issue of ‘The Lutheran'. I continued to be at a loss to understand and become angered by many of the individual and organizational positions on immigration issues, documented and undocumented. First, I see the matter wholly as an undocumented/illegal immigrate issue; it is not a legal immigration matter. I have contempt for an individual whose first act is a break-in, lie and violation of this nation's laws and authority supposedly sanctioned by the nation's validated citizenry. The bottom line fact is that illegal immigrants are thieves from the start. They steal from the food, medical, education, and social programs established for the nation's legal population. And, in my view, this is not the greatest slander to our citizenry. I am angered by the reality that illegal immigrants have a detrimental impact and taint my view of wholly validated and legal immigrants to this country seeking an improved way of life. I agree that this country is a nation of immigrants [the violations and sins against our Native Americans notwithstanding]. The success of many of these new American citizens is impaired by the theft of our resources by undocumented immigrants. Finally, I have little sympathy for undocumented immigrants ...or their offspring. I continue to believe they should all be immediately deported upon discovery. I do not acknowledge their offspring as US citizens. If families are ‘split' I feel the family should look for blame no further than the undocumented parents. So, "Am I absolute? Do I draw a line?" I do draw a line at the second generation of illegal immigration. I then regrettably yield to the failure of our government to do their job and enforce the laws of the land within such a timeframe; such is a problem of the governed and not of immigration. Until the norm is more the acceptance/welcoming of legal immigrants to this country [not tainted by the stigma of illegal immigrants], I can yield no further. |
| Chiara - 5/21/2008 |
| I do understand why we have illegals here, I have seen first hand the poverty that exists in Mexico. I learned this when my husband and father of our 2 children was deported back to Mexico. I dont know what to do about the illegals here but I do understand why they are here, and to those people who say they use up the social welfare and such I say you are misinformed. Most illegals who use a fake social security number pay into the system and never get that money back, I am sure our government makes millions of dollars every year by the fact that they dont file income tax thus the government keeps the money paid in. As far as food stamps and welfare I am sure most of them dont get it they are here underground they are not here for hand outs. I think the churchs that want to help these people should also be helping the millions of families that have been torn apart by having a LEGAL immigrant deported. Which is my families case, yes my husband broke a law and he paid for it, but he should not be deported for a simple misd. crime. Our family has suffered more than most will ever understand our children are paying a high price for being the child of an immigrant. People need to stand up to the government and demand that deporting someone for a simple crime is wrong. What is to become of the children of the deported, I can give you a clue. My son is angry at the government, I dont know what this will do to him later in life but there are millions of children who are now in a single parent home who are angry. When a person does the right thing and becomes legal the government should not punish them by sentencing them to a life without their family. |
| Lourdes - 7/21/2008 |
HI my name is Lourdes, I just read all of the true story that everyone had to say about what is going on with this deporting and sepperating of family, and those who does approve of what is going on. I my self can relate with Chiare; reason for is i married a perm-resident in 1994 and we had 3children in 1998 he worked hard to bye a house or at least pay the bank for it , Then in 1999 the INS came to pick him up from the house to deport him. I then had to find a lawyer to see what was going on and he said to me in 1989 my husband pled gilty to a agervated felony so he took the pley bargen of witch was he servrd 1year and 9month, in court terms it was 6 years. Anyway he served his time and recieved his GED and a auto certificate to work on cars he made his time usefull, INS visited him in there and said nothing to him only that to do good when he came out & stay out of proplems my husband listen.. Get u he never had did anything wrong before so he served his time and a month later we dated ,i have known his family since i was a little girl .We got together and we had a girl in 1994 and 2 more kids thier after . The lawyer said a law passed in 96 that states that anyone that had served time in jail for a felony and are perm-resident are to be taken away thier green card and be deported. SO we falted as far as takening it to the seventh circuit and lost we paid so much money we even refi the house to be able to continue fight what i believe wasn't wright that my children would be left fatherless. Thier father had been in thier life sence there very first breath of air when they came out of me and into the world. He alway was by my side when it was time to give breath to them and cut there crode.(this was something i always wanted since i never had a father in my life) And as i tell u this it brakes my heart to see how my children have been feeling since thier father have been taken away from them they are in a bad nightmare that the say it is not true. the oldest is 17 his stepson and his daughter is 14,son11 and the last son is only 6. This has been so hard for them. I am 1 month late on paying the morgage and i don't even know if i am going to be able to pay next month I live in chicago and it is so so hard to get a job i am so afrade of what else we are going to lose , i also have to worry about my husband over thier having no one to help him but he tells me to stop worring and to asks for help for us but it is easy saying it but getting help is soo hard . i feel so confuse and tired that please some one in congress help. i can not even get father support because father is not in USA so why can't the goverment give us what my children would have had if the father was hear with them they were the one who wanted him out so they should be held accountable for thier cost of living( THE CHILDREN That stud fatherless) I married a perminet Resident and i also stud husbandless and fatherless PLEASE HELP !!!!!SOMEONE PLEASE
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| jovita - 8/17/2008 |
| if an illegal has a child that is an american citezen they qualify for fema financial assistance, food stamps, wic, medicaid and a zillion more benefits dont let the government tell you they are not qualifying them because they do get help and all of them are on medicaid and chips. they dont have prenatal medicaid but they get help one way or another people from othe countries are coming here and bring their sick children we foot the bill. so dont tell me illegals dont ask for help or they dont qualify because they do my in law came from another country she was 85 and got all the medical she needed till she died and did not pay a penny so please it is the fault or the government for aiding and abetting illegals they make the law but they break it |
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