Two Congressional representatives, Joe Baca (CA-43) and Luis Gutierrez (IL-4) were present to receive the message and pledged their support. “We are about comprehensive immigration reform within a biblical and moral context,” said Rep. Gutierrez, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Immigration Task Force.
Catholics, mainline Christians, Pentecostals, Evangelicals, Muslims and Jews all prayed for the same thing in this sanctuary. In his invocation, Bishop Gerald Barnes, Diocese of San Bernardino, prayed for the immigrant brothers and sisters whose families are broken apart, for people of faith to love and support their immigrant neighbors, and that the country may turn away from policies that hurt people and tear families apart.
Jennifer (16), Whitney (18), and Wilber (18), who are caught in the injustice of the immigration system testified of the agony felt as their families have been torn apart. They told of how parents have recently been arrested when US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) entered their homes without warrants, claiming they were investigating some kind of crime. Without access to legal representation, some have been deported without a hearing. They have been separated from their families. Wilber explained that his 12-year-old sister had gone to Mexico, a country that she had never even visited before, to be with her mother. Wilber has had to live with relatives since he could not pay rent for the apartment that his mom, sister and he had lived in prior to the abrupt departure.
Pastor Chuck Singleton, Loveland Church in Rancho Cucamonga, California reflected on his growing up in Chicago. When his mother would shop at Spiegel Department Store, they would park and enter through the rear door, as the front door was only for white people. When they would travel by car from Chicago to Louisiana to visit his parents’ relatives, his mother would cook enough food to pack in picnic baskets for the whole trip. He used to believe that she did it because she liked to cook. She did like to cook. The bigger truth, he learned later, was that his family was not allowed to eat in restaurants along the way due to the color of their skin. The difference, said Pastor Singleton, is that when he came home he knew his parents would be there.
Congressman Joe Baca (D CA-43), told the enthusiastic crowd of about 300 that comprehensive immigration reform is needed. We need to work together; we need to pray together for this. There are about 12-million people who do not have and need representation. When people are in need, they don’t go to their congressman; they go to their church. The church must never turns anyone away because we are all children of God.
About 10 anti-immigrant protesters gathered on the sidewalk outside the church as people assembled, chanting anti-immigrant slogans. They used loud noises: megaphone sirens and a revving motorcycle engine in an attempt to disrupt the speakers inside. Rep. Gutierrez reminded those inside that during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, detractors did worse. They burned churches; they even killed some of our leaders. That did not stop those freedom fighters. We will not stop either. Gutierrez alluded to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from “Why We Can’t Wait.” Our message to President Obama today is that we can’t wait for immigration reform.
In the mid 1800s, the anti-immigrant people were wrong about the Irish. At the turn of the 20th century, they were wrong about the Italians. Today, they are wrong about immigrants from Latin America and other places.
At the end of the program, people were invited to walk forward to sign petitions asking the congress and the president to act on immigration reform on the church’s granite alter. The event is part of a 17-city tour led by the Hispanic Caucus and Representative Gutierrez. The petitions will be presented to President Obama at a meeting scheduled later by the Congressmen. Organizers encouraged everyone to take their mobile telephones out and call the president at the Whitehouse, 202/456-1111, to draw attention for the immediate need for comprehensive immigration reform.
Glen Peterson has worked for 30 years with faith-based and community organizations that serve with the poor and immigrant populations dealing with economic development issues and family well-being. He is now a consultant with Capacity Partnership Group <> and blogs at People Migrate
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