The Lead

The Rev. Paula Jackson commented on our first story about the House of Bishops visiting the border between Arizona and Mexico to find out more about the issue of immigration. Jackson relates the tragedy for families and the human side of the "issue":

Next week I must accompany a beloved parishioner, a mother and her young children, back to Guatemala by order of the US government. Her husband who abandoned her here several years ago promises to kill her when she returns, but she lost her appeal for asylum. Her children know no life but in the US. Even worse, one of the children was born unattended when they had just arrived in the US and has no birth certificate or documentation of any kind. After increasingly frantic efforts since March, we still have no travel permit for a 7 year old to go with his mother. It seems he will be stranded here, without a country or a family, and no rights anywhere. We are appealing for clemency from the State Department but there is so far no response. I can name several families in our parish who could easily fall into the same or a similar tragedy. How is this inhumanity protecting our national security?

Photos of the family by Paula Jackson.

Comments (4)

to the plight of undocumented people and the barbarity of those who hunt them down is welcome.

But that is only PR. The real work consists of an organized drive --centrally crafted, but acting locally, to let legislators and know that this church will not cooperate with this systemic form of racist oppression, and will in fact, protect, shelter, feed, heal, educate and assist all persons in need regardless of their citizenship status. This is what we have to do as Christians in the free exercise of OUR religion.

A resolution in General Convention, along with strong proactive lobbying by our Government Relations Office in DC would go a long way.

Juan Oliver

Posted by www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1775275848 | September 14, 2010 5:57 PM

I am a friend of the Revd. Paula Jackson (and of her husband and their children.

Paula is incarnating the "gospel about Jesus Christ" in her actions, and she fears not the consequences.

With all due respect to Juan Oliver I am not sure that an appeal to legislators, or a General Convention resolution would achieve much.

I believe that we can begin the journey t'wards immigration justice by:

(a) acting - just as Paula does and

(b) witnessing to metanoia with our neighbours, those who hear little more than the rantings of e.g. "Fox News".

"Loving our neighbour as ourselves" is easy when the neighbour lives in a far off land. It is much more difficult when that neighbour lives next door, and is a Tea Party supporter!

ed. note: jmo - please sign your name next time you comment - thx

Posted by jmo | September 14, 2010 7:13 PM

Whoops and apologies.

I am J. Michael Povey

Posted by jmo | September 14, 2010 9:18 PM

I hope the writers here won't mind if I tell a story and give a link here.

In my San Francisco parish, we are lucky enough to have a non-stipendiary priest, Fr. Richard Smith, who is very active with community organizations of immigrants and friends agitating for reform. Richard frequently makes announcements about immigration policy and related community events.

Several months ago he invited the congregation to a regional community event attended mostly by immigrant families for which he had organized clergy support from several denominations. I attended because I have a long history with the issue and these neighbors.

Later I was at a potluck with members of my parish and people honestly admitted that, though they trust anything Richard is advocating, they had no idea what his immigration agitation was all about.

In response, I wrote a blog post to answer some questions. Unless folks have experience that demands it of them, they can't be expected to know.

Here's that answer to "What's this 'immigration reform' all about?":
http://happening-here.blogspot.com/2010/06/whats-this-immigration-reform-all-about.html

I was told some folks found it useful. And the parish is planning further informational discussions later this fall.

Jan Adams

Posted by janinsanfran | September 15, 2010 3:00 PM

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