Today as we await President Obama’s announcement on deportation
relief for a undocumented immigrants, we continue to affirm the need for the
2014 revival of the 1980s Sanctuary movement.
Sanctuary 2014, in short, is the nationwide movement of
people of faith to shield family members under immediate threat of deportation from
separation. By invoking 2011 policy set
by immigration authorities, which recommends
individuals who fit certain qualifications be granted deportation relief
through prosecutorial discretion, faith communities protect these individuals
in the shelter of their churches until they receive a stay of removal or their
cases are closed. These qualifications include the length of time they have
resided in the U.S., a lack of a criminal history, and whether an immediate
family member -- a child, parent, or spouse -- is a U.S. citizen or permanent
resident.
A Growing Movement
Since our last post,
the movement has grown. There are now six individuals residing in the Sanctuary
of congregations across the nation, from Francisco Aguirre in Portland, OR to
Angela Navarro in Philadelphia PA. Over
24 congregations are prepared to offer Sanctuary when needed, and more than 70
congregations have signed a declaration in support of the movement.*
We’ve also seen the movement work: Beatriz Santiago Ramirez,
the mother who took Sanctuary in Chicago in September, won her case three weeks
ago!**
Three PC(USA) Churches Now Provide Sanctuary
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| Rosa with husband Gerardo and their sons |
Rosa Robles Loreto and Luis Lopez Acabal and the
Presbyterian church communities that surround them continue to struggle to reach
a resolution to their cases in Tucson and Tempe, AZ, respectively.
Rosa Robles Loreto, a spouse and mother of two boys, has
been living in Sanctuary at Southside Presbyterian, for over 100 days. She is
unlikely to receive relief under President Obama’s executive action, which will
only grant relief to parents of documented children.
 |
| Luis with wife Mayra and their daughter |
Angela Navarro entered into Sanctuary at West Kensington
Ministry at Norris Square (PCUSA affiliated) in Philadelphia, PA, with her husband and two children on Tuesday of this week. She is the 8th individual to do so this year. Angela is a hard-working mother
who has lived in the U.S. for over 10 years. She met her husband and has
raised two children here.
Executive action does not mean our struggle is over: we still need Sanctuary. Applications
for the pending deportation relief will not become available until the new year,
potentially leaving the families in Sanctuary in legal limbo. Moreover, we
don’t know whether individuals with final deportation orders, like those in
Sanctuary, will be able to apply for relief. Not only that, millions of
families like Rosa’s will not benefit from this relief, whether from having undocumented children, a past criminal record, or no children at all.
 |
| Angela Navarro and her two children |
How You Can Help:
As people of faith, we must continue to stand on the side of the most
vulnerable immigrants and their families. This executive action is likely to increase the vulnerability
of undocumented immigrants who do not meet its requirements.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) affirmed at the 221st General Assembly that it strongly supports local churches standing in solidarity with and protect immigrants facing deportation. This assembly created the Presbyterian Immigrant Defense Initiative, a campaign to “empower” Presbyterians to work to change policies and practices that infringe on the human and civil rights of immigrants in our communities including immigrant detention, streamlined deportation, and the executing of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by local law enforcement.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) affirmed at the 221st General Assembly that it strongly supports local churches standing in solidarity with and protect immigrants facing deportation. This assembly created the Presbyterian Immigrant Defense Initiative, a campaign to “empower” Presbyterians to work to change policies and practices that infringe on the human and civil rights of immigrants in our communities including immigrant detention, streamlined deportation, and the executing of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by local law enforcement.
In the next weeks, look for more ways to support those in Sanctuary.
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