Its Against The Law

I've been back in town for a few hours after an incredible weekend up in Mystic, CT (I highly recommend it for a weekend if you live nearby or are in the Northeast)......only to come back to reality and the news that encompasses it. One such story out of the multitude is that of Elvira Arellano. Elvira had been staying in a sanctuary in Chicago to stay out of the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement that wants to send her back to Mexico to carry out deportation orders. She came out to speak at a rally in Los Angeles, only to find herself being arrested and facing imminent deportation.

From The San Jose Mercury News:

Elvira Arellano, who arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday after leaving her sanctuary to campaign for immigration reform, was arrested around 1:30 p.m. outside Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church where she had been speaking to reporters, said the Rev. Walter Coleman, pastor of Adalberto United Methodist, the Chicago church.

Arellano was "being processed for removal to Mexico based upon a deportation order originally issued by a federal immigration judge in 1997," U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a news release.

Immigration activists promised protests and vigils to support her.

"We are sad, but at the same time we are angry," said Javier Rodriguez, a Chicago immigration activist who worked with her. "How dare they arrest this woman?"

"How dare they" is right. Elvira has been fighting for rights, both for herself and many in similar situations. She came to this country over ten years ago to work for a better life. Many people out there think that her deportation is not only following the law, but justified because she had eluded authorities for so long.

Since she has principles, speaking out in Los Angeles was the right thing to do. There is so much to be done and if her voice can help, then Ms. Arellano will step up. Now her activism is going to lead to deportation, no matter how many vigils we hold. The problem is that the "law" is a regressive measure that impedes the way America truly works. So many people want to come here to better their lives as Elvira was once doing. Now she is going to have to pay a price.

Yet what about the people that hire her? What happens to them? Why do they get away with paying ultra-low wages to undocumented workers while the bosses get rich from lower bottom lines. It is time to address the real issues here. People need to put down their hate for others who look "different" from the average WASP. America was founded and brought to glory on the backs of immigrants. Yet somehow there are so many out there that forget that integral piece of our history.

The law is the law, but it needs to be changed, so we can continue to be the country we know and love.

Churches Fight Back Against Gov't Deportation Of Immigrants

Religious institutions have been under fire from the progressive community for sometime now due to the rapacious bloodlust of the religious right. The latest abomination was Dobson and many others charge to stop the Hate Crimes legislation from going forward. Today there is a refreshing story about churches around the country that are beginning to protect those that are less fortunate. That group is highly stigmatized because they are considered 'illegal immigrants.'

From The New York Times:

Recalling a movement that challenged United States policy in Central America in the 1980s, several religious congregations in New York and other cities will announce a campaign Wednesday to provide sanctuary to illegal immigrants who face deportation.

As of Tuesday, the organizers of what is being called the New Sanctuary Movement said that five churches in New York City had already offered assistance to two families — one from China and one from Haiti — and would provide them with shelter if the federal government moved to enforce the deportation orders filed against them.

“We’re launching now because we’re fed up with detentions, deportations and raids,” said the Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper, the senior minister of Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village. “We felt it was not morally possible to remain silent.”

Morality has been twisted by many on the right to protect the privileged few. Morality to them means keeping things neat and orderly for the white majority and to persecute minority groups, whether they be of another ethnicity or sexual orientation. Now that church groups are coming out to protect immigrants that face deportation, the church (or at least part of it) can be seen in their true calling. That is to protect those that are less fortunate and who need a helping hand.

While the government may be cracking down on 'illegals' it is still a moral issue and an American issue to give shelter to those that want to have a better life in America. That is the reason they came to this country much like the ancestors of those that are here today. It is so easy to forget where we came from and try to protect an illusion that new immigrants are out to get us. Many leaders on the right try to play on basic human nature and the instinctual fear to survive that we are genetically programmed with. Thankfully there are people that can see past that and realize that we are all in this together. That is what has made America the great place it is known as and will continue to be.