Uphold Protections for Migrant Children and Families!

Since October 2013, an estimated 63,000 unaccompanied children have been apprehended at the U.S./Mexico border, the majority of whom are fleeing rampant violence and poverty in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. [i] This number has more than doubled since last year. We must leverage emergency resources both to care for children and provide them access to appropriate legal services. Prior to leaving for the August Recess, the House passed H.R. 5230, which would only minimally fund the care of children and take away the protections afforded these children under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPRA).

 Daily, children like these are apprehended by Border Patrol. Photo source: AP

Now that Congress is back in session, the Senate may vote on H.R. 5230. Weakening the protections of the TVPRA in exchange for new resources is a false choice, especially when many of these resources further militarize the border. Instead, we must uphold the law that grants migrant children access to social services and legal counsel.

Contact your Senators Today

Tell the Senate to support funding to care for unaccompanied children, while opposing H.R. 5230 and any other legislation that would weaken the protections for unaccompanied children provided by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPRA)

Background on the TVPRA:

The TVPRA, passed in 2000, provides certain protections to unaccompanied children arriving in the U.S. from noncontiguous countries. Under the TVPRA, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), rather than Homeland Security, has custody of the child.  HHS is required to place the child according to his or her best interests, which often means a family placement. A child is then screened for his or her claim to humanitarian protection in a safe setting by persons trained to interview children.

Under H.R. 5230, a child would remain in detention and immigration officers, not trained social workers, would question him or her about trauma and possible humanitarian claims. Moreover, this bill requires a child to have a deportation hearing within fourteen days, giving him or her no time to prepare a case or get access to attorney. If this bill becomes law, children will not be afforded meaningful hearings and they will be deported back to danger, exploitation and death. One youth was shot dead hours after being deported back to San Pedro Sula, Honduras . [ii]

We must oppose changes in the law that would weaken the protections given to unaccompanied children. In addition, we must support additional funding to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to deal with the humanitarian crisis at the border. Before leaving for August Recess, the House of Representatives voted on a supplemental funding bill that beefs up border security instead of supporting the agencies most in need of additional funding—the ones that are providing for the basic needs of children who are fleeing widespread violence in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

E-mail your Senators today to support funding for ORR.

God calls us as Christians to welcome the stranger and to love our neighbor. Central American families, our neighbors to the South, are showing up at our border, seeking refuge from great harm. We have yet to act to protect them.

The 217^th General Assembly of the PC(USA), in a renewal of our call to love our neighbor, stated, “We affirm the PC(USA)’s commitment to providing sanctuary to anyone in need of safe space, food or shelter.” Keeping the Trafficking Victims Protection Act intact and funding agencies that meet the needs of these children are important ways to do this.

Tell your Senators today that we must keep the protections of the TVPRA intact.

------------------------------------------------------------------

[i] "Children at the Border" http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/07/15/us/questions-about-the-border-kids.html?_r=0

[ii] “In Honduras, U.S. Deportees Seek to Journey North Again, LA Times” : http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-honduras-deported-youths-20140816-story.html

  

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) reacts to the Senate’s passage of immigration reform legislation.

The Senate passed the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 (SB 744) last week. It passed with 68 votes after the Corker-Hoeven Amendment (or border surge) was put forth as the substitute bill. This “surge” altered the legislation by substantially changed the legalization program and added a massive build up at our borders. The bill’s passage in the Senate has resulted in mixed emotions for immigrants, border communities, and advocates, including many Presbyterians.

The Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Rev. Gradye Parsons, stated that, “We are are deeply concerned about what this further militarization of our borders will mean for border communities and migrants. While we are pleased that a pathway to citizenship, though narrow and conditional, was included in the final bill, we are concerned about the impact the build up will have on the number of deaths at our southern border. Presbyterians have a lot of work to do to ensure the final legislation comports with our values as people of faith and the guidelines set forth by the General Assembly.”

Rev. Mark Adams, Coordinator for the Presbyterian border ministry Frontera de Cristo and border resident, stated: “With the 'border surge' in the bill, Senator John McCain stated that we will have the most militarized border since the fall of the Berlin Wall. As it stands this bill will basically double a policy that is fiscally irresponsible, highly ineffective, and morally reprehensible. But perhaps the most tragic aspect of the bill is that the bill does not address our own participation in the economic systems that has driven much of the migration across the southern border.” 

While the bill raises many concerns, this vote in the Senate is a step toward modernizing our immigration system, particularly the sections of the law that provide for the future flow of immigrants. In addition to the pathway to citizenship, the legislation creates pathways for people who want to immigrate to the U.S. to do so with proper authorization and there are many improvements to current law that are good for children and refugees.

Rev. J. Herbert Nelson of the office of Public Witness for the Presbyterian Church also acknowledged that the legislation as is, is unjust. He stated, "The bill provides a pathway to citizenship for millions of our brothers and sisters but it is unjustly tied to the increased use of flawed and punitive immigration enforcement policies. Although compromise is necessary in legislative deal making, it shouldn’t come at the expense of anyone’s dignity and right to life. Further, taxpayers’ dollars that should be invested in human capital – in providing a social safety net, job training, and a myriad of other shared priorities for the common good—but with this bill’s authorization, those dollars will be wasted.  The lives of millions of our brothers and sisters, both at the border and across this nation, should not be traded for the votes of politicians who continue to deny the need for real reform and the fundamental truth that every person is a child of God."

Now it is up to the House to take action on immigration reform. Some restrictive legislation is being considered in the House Judiciary Committee but so far legislation has not been proposed that will meet the General Assembly’s foundations for a just and compassionate reform, which include a pathway to citizenship and a border policy that comports with our notions of due process and respects human rights. Since no laws have changed, the public should be vigilant and warn families about fraud as many unscrupulous individuals are looking to profit from people present in the U.S. without authorization. Be suspect of anyone claiming to secure legal status as a result of new changes in the law.

Rev. Parsons has issued a challenge to Presbyterians to study Scripture and pray so that every one might remember his or her own migration story. He said, “By remembering that we too were once strangers in Egypt, we can reclaim these stories as our own and take action that will improve the legislation in the House. While we need to celebrate this movement, we cannot rest.”

Rev. Melissa Davis, coordinator of advocacy issues in the office of Immigration Issues for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), added, “Presbyterians have a tradition of taking action on immigration issues and working to ensure our nation’s laws are just. Now is the time to remember our past and continue that legacy. Even by doing small things like calling our representative and writing letters to the editors of our local paper, we can make a big difference. Most of all, these efforts need to be undergirded by prayer.”

The General Assembly has long advocated for a pathway to citizenship for those working and living in the United States without authorization. In 2012 this call was renewed, clarifying that this pathway should not be encumbered with penalties, wait times, or other irksome conditions.

Resources on General Assembly’s immigration policy and how to effectively engage with your representatives can be found at the office of Immigration Issues website: www.pcusa.org/immigration and the office of Public Witness blog:http://officeofpublicwitness.blogspot.com/. The July congressional break is a great time to engage with your representatives while they are home in their district offices.

Since no laws have changed, the public should be vigilant and warn families about fraud as many unscrupulous individuals are looking to profit from people present in the U.S. without authorization. Be suspect of anyone claiming to secure legal status as a result of new changes in the law.

Only a Checkpoint Marks the Difference

Read this reflection about the Southern border written by Melissa G. Davis, coordinator of the Office of Immigration Issues for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), as the Senate debates the Corker-Hoeden amendment, which doubles down on unnecessary and excessive border militarization provisions.

The border is not this inanimate object. It is not a place that indicates the end of one thing and the beginning of another. My observation is probably laughable to the hundred or so people I met while visiting the border region of Arizona last month. Particularly to the woman I saw carrying a birthday cake and small blue tricycle through the checkpoint and into Mexico. The border, and border life, is fluid. It is a space more than a place. It represents a way of life, a way of being, and most importantly, a way of thinking. To think of the border as an object sanitizes it of its life and ignores the people shaped by the border land and culture.

I realized how fluid the border is and my own privilege as a result of my white skin and U.S. passport when my colleague and I were leaving Mexico one. We were exhausted and distracted by our talking and laughing. We knew our hotel was close and followed the migratory pattern established that morning. Unfortunately, we were attempting to leave Mexico via the entry point, not the exit. We were stopped by two Custom and Border Patrol agents, who lightly and humorously scolded us then let us pass. Our hotel was so close that we had momentarily forgotten that we had to get “there.” Only the checkpoint acknowledged the difference between here and there, the sights, the smells, the air – it all felt the same.

On another occasion, I stood with my colleagues at a checkpoint waiting to reenter the U.S. and a man pointed out how the barrier altered a centuries old street. It was clear that the checkpoint was built on an existing road, cutting one end from the other. The longer we waited the more stories he told. He pointed out a building on our right that was charred from a recent fire. He shared with us how fire trucks from the U.S. got as close to the barrier as possible and then shot water over the checkpoint to help extinguish the flames. There was a tremendous amount of commerce and community building taking place at this barrier. Many U.S. citizens I met traveled to Mexico for dental work and to have their prescriptions filled for a fraction of the cost in the U.S.

Bipartisan immigration reform legislation has been proposed and it has sparked an immigration debate. Our country is having this debate in sound bites. This creates, usually, a false and simplistic view of a complex policy and it leads the American public to believe that our options are few. As a result this debate has focused on only two aspects of reform: a legalization program for people already living and working in the U.S. and border maintenance. It is further believed that these two things are in tension with one another. Politicians and the public are therefore forced to make this false choice between “securing” the border or providing a pathway out of the shadows for families who have already given so much to this country.

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church has policy on immigration reformthat calls for comprehensive reform of our nation’s immigration laws. This policy

advocates for a pathway to citizenship for the millions of people already living and working in the U.S. and opposes the militarization of our southern border. The General Assembly, in its wisdom, recognizes that we can have safe and humane border policy in line with the values of America AND provide a pathway to citizenship.

As I shared this policy with Presbyterians in Arizona, I kept hearing from border people about the necessity of not throwing the border under the bus in an effort to secure legalization. They shared their concerns about the proposed legislation, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 (SB744) and the additional funds that are to be used for fencing, drones, agents, and other equipment that, they believe, will not increase their safety but further militarize their lives. People living in the border area understand that the rest of the country is willing to have them bear the burden of reform for all of us. Until my visit with them I did not fully understand what was being asked of them.

The immigration reform legislation, SB744, made it out of the Senate Judiciary Committee relatively unscathed, for better and for worse. The legislation is clearly a product of negotiation, but we should not blindly accept it. People of faith should remember that this legislation was written by politicians with political aspirations and re-election treasure chests that are never quite full enough. Our faith calls us to justice, not to compromise.

Soon the legislation will be debated on the full Senate floor. In response, a group of Republicans have circulated a dear colleague letter that makes clear their intention to continue the effort to militarize the border, even at the expense of a workable legalization plan. It is going to be a long summer and Presbyterians must remain vigilant and engaged in the process where our values will be traded for votes.

We are to become advocates, witnesses to the biblical mandate to do justice. While government is created by God and therefore good for us, we also recognize that it too is fallen and in need of redemption. Christians do not submit to the powers and the government blindly, but have responsibility to ensure that the laws that govern our lives together reflect our values.

As people of faith, we have the privilege and responsibility to stand in solidarity with the parts of the body that suffer and to suffer with them. This space, and the people who populate it, are suffering and we cannot ask them to suffer more on our behalf. The long lines at check points that keep birthday girls waiting, the racial profiling that privileges some, the normalizing of surveillance and loss of due process, and most importantly, the loss of life has created untold sorrow. We can bring commonsense to this debate and move beyond sound bites. Presbyterians working locally help communities understand the effects of our broken immigration system and the opportunities to become involved in this movement.

The effects of a border policy that ignores due process and human dignity may feel a world away but these hurts and the suffering are born by all of us. The increase of equipment and military presence to this volatile region of the world is dangerous, putting federal agents and citizens at risk. In addition it threatens the culture of our southern borderlands.

This is not a zero sum game, we can have a just commonsense plan that provides for those present in the U.S. without authorization a pathway out of the shadows to a place of full recognition of their contributions and we can have a workable border maintenance plan that respects human dignity and American notions of due process, while protecting our nation from those who wish to do our country harm.

Learn about this space we call our southern border and its culture and join in the effort by contacting your Senators and urging them to not further build up the border region with equipment and agents. Ask them to not hang the hopes and dreams of millions on the politically created triggers and political aspirations of members of congress. Heed the call of those asking the American public to respect the culture of this space and not throw it and its people under the bus during this debate.

For more information on Presbyterians working at our southern border, contact Frontera de Cristo at http://www.fronteradecristo.org/.

Learn to be an effective advocate by utilizing this resource from the office of Public Witness for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) at http://www.presbyterianmission.org/media/uploads/compassion-peace- justice/pdf/holy_discontentment_advocacy_resource_final.pdf.

The Southern Border Communities Coalition is working to amend SB744 in ways that increase efficiencies as opposed to simply further militarizing the border: www.soboco.org.