May 10, 2010 issue
Immigrant advocates act for reform, speak against Arizona law
By Celeste Kennel-Shank Mennonite Weekly ReviewChurches organized vigils May 1-2 to support U.S. immigration reform and oppose a new law in Arizona aimed at prosecuting undocumented immigrants.
National leaders in Mennonite Church USA also expressed their views about immigration reform and the Arizona law, signed April 23. The law, available as a PDF, requires police to try to determine the immigration status of anyone for whom “reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States.”
“The passing of the Arizona law on immigration has served as a wake-up call for our church leaders,” said Yvonne Díaz, executive director of Iglesia Menonita Hispana (Hispanic Mennonite Church), a constituency group of MC USA.
Díaz joined other Christian leaders in an April 29 telephone press conference.
The congregation where she is a member, Iglesia Menonita del Buen Pastor (Good Shepherd Mennonite Church) in Goshen, Ind., held a prayer vigil May 1. About 25 people attended; Díaz believes some Latinos stayed away for fear of racial profiling and harassment.
“The climate of fear in immigrant communities nationwide is a consequence of a broken system in desperate need of reform,” she said. “Immigrants should be able to join their neighbors in the public square, not feel that they must hide from them in the shadows.”
Just and humane immigration reform should include several aspects, Díaz said in a phone interview with Mennonite Weekly Review. One is allowing families to stay together when one or more family members are undocumented. Another is protecting workers’ rights, such as having a lunch break during a full work day and being paid minimum wage. Shortening the length of time that it takes to become a citizen is also necessary, Díaz said.
She wants to see more engagement from Christians on immigration reform.
“Mostly I’ve heard silence from within the church,” she said.
Deaths in the desert
Comments
-
. This is another display of the flawed Social Justice theology of the religious left.
In her last paragraph, Ms Shank writes “Ervin Stutzman, MC USA executive director, said in an April 8 video statement that immigrants are vital members of the denomination. “As I read the Bible, I’m just impressed by the way it speaks of God’s covenant love for foreigners,” Stutzman said. “I believe that God wants us to extend that same covenant love to the foreigners that are among us.”
President Obama, Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sojourners, Mennonites and other Social Justice religious groups have also gone on record in strong opposition of what Arizona has done. Therefore, I would believe all these whom I have mentioned would be in strong support of my following proposal for addressing the current problem and future immigration reform.
National Guard troops be placed along the US-Mexico border. All individuals caught illegally crossing the border would be placed in nearby motor vehicles and transported to secure temporary detention centers.
All individuals currently dwelling in Arizona or any other border state who are determined to be illegal immigrants under state and federal law would also be taken to secure temporary detention centers.
Weekly, all individuals in these detention centers would be given $50 and placed on a one way, non-stop commercial flight to Washington DC. There, MCC, Sojourners and Obama officials could welcome them and assume full responsibility for healthcare, food, shelter, clothing, education for children and language training for adults as has been expected from the taxpaying citizens of Arizona. I believe this is the best way to properly ensure adequate compassion under the Social Justice theology as stated by Ms Shank and Mr. Stutzman. Mennonites, heavily congregated in other areas, would be mandated by MC USA to open their homes to extend covenant love and provide for all needs and rights of these law breakers. An option to going to DC would be to their respective homeland. This is not about race, but needed economic relief and security for taxpaying citizens in border states. Obama and the social justice leaders of the religious left should eagerly welcome these people as they expect the taxpaying citizens of the border states.
-
Will this affect the planned 2013 MCUSA convention in Phoenix? I know we are still more than three years out, but would MCUSA support the boycotts?
-
JPR, See this article, posted yesterday.
-
Thanks. Definitely not an easy decision.
Comment on the article Immigrant advocates act for reform, speak against Arizona law
The purpose of comments is to engage in dialogue. We expect commenters to treat authors and each other as each would want to be treated. Respectful criticism is welcomed; offensive comments or parts of comments will be removed by the site administrator. Name and comment will be posted; email address is for follow-up only and will not be made public.
Download
Download a free PDF showing the populations of
Mennonite groups and other Anabaptists.
