New Sanctuary Movement

Prophetic Hospitality:
Strategy for a New Movement

Overview
As an act of public witness, the New Sanctuary Movement will enable congregations to publicly provide hospitality and protection to a limited number of immigrant families whose legal cases clearly reveal the contradictions and moral injustice of our current immigration system while working to support legislation that would change their situation.

These families will be in the deportation process, include citizen children, have adults with good work records and have a potential case under current law. The Center for Constitutional Rights is working with a broad network of lawyers across the country to provide expert legal counsel and support to each family. Participating congregations will offer a family hospitality for a limited period; the family will rotate from one congregation to another as needed until their case is resolved. Because the family's identity will be public, the congregations will not be violating federal law.

Host congregations will sign onto a Sanctuary Pledge. Other allied religious leaders and congregations will also sign onto the Pledge. They will also accompany the host congregations, providing spiritual and material support as needed.

lots more: http://www.newsanctuarymovement.org/hospitality.htm

but not for illegal aliens. It's moral injustice to enter a country illegally -- or enter legally and overstay your visa. It's moral injustice to aid illegal aliens while there's a huge backlog of people who have applied to immigrate legally and waited for years for their turn.

We can aid the poor in their own countries, as we have always done. We cannot accomodate all the world's poor in our country.

The family I am most familiar with had a mother who faced deportation after living here for over 30 years. She came here as a small child with her parents. She was educated here, spoke English, had a college degree and her husband talked her into applying for citizenship. When she did, ICE began deportation proceedings. Now she lives in a different country with her son, who is a US citizen. She is not poor and asked for nothing other than citizenship.

There are many many stories just like hers.

It is immoral to break up families. I applaud churches who become a part of this New Sanctuary Movement.

think that the parents have some responsibility for willfully putting their children in that position? They chose to break the law, should have known that could happen, yet did it anyway.

How do you propose we punish them?

I also saw an excellent documentary a few weeks ago about Cambodians who are being deported. They came here 30+ years ago from a war ravaged country and were offered sanctuary by our government. Now they are being deported. So do we punish the govt officials who gave these people sanctuary 30+ years ago?

a minute, you made a general statement, ("I believe it is immoral to break families up") and I simply ask if you don't think the parents have some responsibility for putting their children in that positron. As for the woman, who said anything about punishing her parents? Apparently she is one of those people that there is no provision in the law for. Unfortunately its one of the complexities that will likely not get settled with the disastrous bill the Senate and Bu$h are pushing. The Cambodians are in a different situation but on the surface it seems like our Gov has done them wrong. If they were offered sanctuary how did that get taken away? There must be a whole lot more to that story.

Sure they bear some responsibility. But I hold them responsible for wanting a better life for themselves and their children. They should be praised, not demonized.

citizenship when he knew she was an illegal alien. Why doesn't he join her in her country now?

claim to legal status. They would have the opportunity to make out that case. This isn't a police state, even for aliens.

It's not as black and white as you're seeing.

The base of the statue contains a passage written by Emma Lazarus,
"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

"Give me ONLY your legal tired, your legal poor and your legal huddled masses."

Any greatness it claims.

Immigration restrictionists think the US is like any other country. It's not the way this country is. Other countries, maybe, but this is the free and open area where the tired and poor masses because energetic and rich people. It collects people from all over the world and makes a culture that is a mixture of everything - the immigrants assimilate but at the same time, what they brought in from their culture melts into this culture.

French, who are currently trying to get rid of their own horde of illegal immigrants.

It's a POEM. It's not a law, it's not part of the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence. It's just a POEM.

The US is not bound to do what the POEM says. We have welcomed many huddled masses to our shore and we continue to do so but they should come legally.

I am in Chicago for the UFPJ meeting and I just heard a great presentation on this program.

that's participating or that might.

:hi:

but would like to help?

There is probably info on donating or maybe even a church in your area that could use your help.

They're a fairly active bunch of Methodists who actually try to practice Christianity.

Be sure to let us know how that goes.

Thanks!!

Howard Dean: "As a Democrat, I believe that we should welcome the stranger"



He further said the GOP was scapegoating the immigrants.

Yes, we absolutely should welcome the stranger. :)

Illegal aliens have broken into our country. Common sense tells us that some of them are bound to be criminals, some of them violent criminals. Actually they're criminals by virtue of being here illegally, but I mean that some of them are bound to be robbers, burglars, rapists, murderers, drug dealers, con men, etc. Beyond that, many of them will have diseases and parasites that are endemic in their native country but not endemic here -- yet. By coming in illegally, they avoid any screening.

Are you going to be glad you welcomed a stranger with drug-resistant TB?

Or a stranger with malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, hookworms, tapeworms, Ascaris worms, liver flukes?

Or a stranger who is a terrorist and brings in smallpox, anthrax, or a suitcase nuke?

Or a stranger who sells cocaine to children in your neighborhood?

Or a stranger who breaks into your home and steals things that are precious to you?


Do you lock your door? If so, why? Don't you want to welcome the stranger into your home?

I help people in need but I lock my door because I don't want people in my home uninvited.


For the same reason, I don't want illegal aliens in the US. With legal immigration, we have a chance of screening out the bad people and we can control population growth. We can't welcome strangers unless we have room for them and jobs for them. Pretending we have endless space and endless economic growth and can invite everyone in is foolish.

If we don't get control of our borders, we will have serious social unrest in the future.

I agree. Very well said. My thoughts exactly.

Please educate yourself.

I work with immigrants. I know NONE with ANY diseases, NONE who are gang bangers or criminals and NONE who threaten me or my safety in any way.

They want to feed their children and SURVIVE. They can't in their native countries, thanks to NAFTA and CAFTA. We most certainly DO have an obligation to these people.

If you found out that your government's policies took way their ability to earn a living, would you reach out to help them or condemn them because they weren't born here?

This is a moral issue for me. No human being is illegal. But many (especially children) are hungry.