Monday, January 28, 2008

Press Release 1/28/08: Sanctuary Begins Again at Chicago Church

For Immediate Release Monday, January 28th, 2008

To: All Media
From: Adalberto United Methodist Church
Familia Latina Unida/Sin Fronteras
Contact: Emma Lozano
Rev Walter L Coleman

SANCTUARY BEGINS AGAIN
AT ADALBERTO UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

“This act of civil disobedience by an undocumented mother today is a proclamation of the “State of the Latino Nation.”

Following in the footsteps of her friend Elvira Arellano, Flor Crisotomo announced today that she will refuse to report for deportation as ordered by Homeland Security and will take sanctuary in Adalberto United Methodist Church.

"I am taking a stand of civil disobedience to Make America See what they are doing. I believe with all my heart that the United States and Mexico must end the system of undocumented labor but the current policy of enforcement only is not ending this system and that is what I want America to see."

Flor’s story illustrates the roots of the current immigration crisis. Driven here because of the effects of NAFTA on her home town, she came to support her three children, her sister and her aging mother. She worked for IFCO until that company was raided in a high profile national raid in 2006, when she was arrested.

Flor explained that undocumented workers are caught between two U.S. policies. On the one hand, Homeland Security and a wave of local laws across the country are making it more and more difficult to survive openly in this country. On the other hand, the policies of NAFTA have devastated the rural economy of Mexico and as many as a million more Mexican farmers will be put out of work this year and most will seek to travel north.

“I cannot support my children if I return to Mexico because of the policies of NAFTA and yet for the 12 million it is becoming more and more difficult to survive here.”

“The government has no intention of deporting 12 million people. They say they expect us to self-deport, but we cannot leave because of what U.S. economic policies have done to destroy jobs in our home countries. That is why the current policy will not end the system of undocumented labor. It will only drive us into worse and worse jobs.”

“I will not be a symbol of fear to spread among my people. I hope that adding my grain of sand to the struggle will help to get the U.S. Congress to act to fix a broken law and an inhuman system of undocumented labor.

Speaking for Familia Latina Unida/Sin Fronteras, Emma Lozano proclaimed Flor’s action as a statement of “the State of the Latino Nation.”

“Over half of the Latinos in this country live in fear every day that a family member, loved one or friend will be deported and yet the government has failed to respond to this crisis in our community. We will likely not even be mentioned in the President’s address tonight. The Democratic Presidential candidates have failed to take on this crisis and the Democratic Congress has refused to even put immigration on their agenda at their upcoming retreat this Wednesday. Neither Party has addressed the economic policies that are driving immigration from Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean.

“Not only the undocumented, but the entire Latino community has been forced into the shadows of this country.

“The current policy of “enforcement only” is a political fraud. It is not aimed at ending the cruel system of undocumented labor which separates families on both sides of the border. It is aimed only at mobilizing hate, causing fear and driving millions further into the shadows.

“Today we are saying that we will not be invisible. Congress must act to bring our people out of the shadows. Congress must act to renegotiate NAFTA and legalize both the employers and the workers to end this system of exploitation and separation of families.”

Speaking on behalf of the little methodist church that stood off the U.S. government for a year with Elvira Arellano, Rev Walter Coleman reminded the people that “Jesus came to say that the people have eyes but they do not see. We must Make America See by our faith.”

“12 million people, their families here and their families in Mexico, are caught in a triangle of paralysis: Between the Greed of NAFTA, the Hatred of immigration enforcement and the hunger in their children’s eyes.

“We have waited patiently for government to act meaningfully – but they have not. Every Sunday, this church like many others acros this land, is filled with families facing the pain of separation, the agony of unacceptable alternatives We call today for a renewal of the Sanctuary Movement that began with Elvira Arellano here in this church..

“Where governments fail the people, faith must stand apart. Let us go forward together in faith. Let us Make America See.”

2 comments:

Lindsie said...

you are forgetting to mention in your article that mexicio is so corrupt they will not anything for their people. you also forgot to mention that nobody invited 20 illegal immigrants to come to this country an have 5.1 children now you are crying over ice separating families and they are still crossing trying to drop their babies in the desert in order to have an american baby. lets abolish automatic citezenship no more anchor babies and yes we want the 20 million to self deport we are doing somethin about it we are faxing our government to keep on deporting and if they are in so much fear ice will help you go home and buy you and all your family a free ticket to mexico or el salvador and include all you family so that the family will not be separated!

The Politics of Immigration: Questions & Answers said...

This comment shows why we felt we needed to write our book, and why we feel it's really important to get people to hold dialogues on immigration where there can be real discussion of real facts.

"Lindsie" probably sincerely believes what s/he is saying. After all, it's what the television tells us day in and day out. But it happens to be wrong, all of it.

--Are there 20 million undocumented immigrants? Even the anti-immigrant Center for Immigration Studies agrees that the number's around 12 million.

--Undocumented immigrants have 5.1 children? They "drop their babies in the desert"? More than half the undocumented immigrants come from Mexico, where the birth rate is now 2.1 babies per woman, just a little more than in the US.

--What are "anchor babies"? Having a baby born in the US doesn't affect the parents' immigration situation--not until the baby turns 21 and files an application to adjust the parents' status. If the babies were really "anchors," we wouldn't constantly see parents and their minor children being separated by deportations.

--Is the Mexican government corrupt? Yes, but the increase in immigration from Mexico started in the 1980s when the Mexican government began following economic policies demanded by the politicians in Washington and the investors on Wall Street--the same people who brought us the dot.com bubble and the mortgage disaster. If we cleaned up our government and our economy, it would be a lot easier for Mexicans to clean up theirs.

David Wilson