Danbury Congregation First in Connecticut to Participate in New Sanctuary Movement

Image from Web site of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury, which has joined the national New Sanctuary Movement of religious groups, reports TribunaCT.com. (Image: uudanbury.org)

The following article is from TribunaCT.com.

"When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt (Leviticus 19:33-34)."

Rev. Linda Hansen's plea the morning of October 7, 2007, to Danbury's Unitarian Universalist congregation was "that we take these moving words from Leviticus to heart."

Just seven months later, the congregation has become the first in Connecticut to participate in the New Sanctuary Movement (NSM), joining religious groups from 14 different faith traditions in 50 cities across the United States that have pledged to actively seek social justice for immigrants and to provide sanctuary for those facing unjust deportation.

Carl Tichler, president of the board of trustees believes this is no accident, saying in the church's press release, "Help often appears where it is needed most."

The NSM just marked its first anniversary, growing from a group of faith-based activists in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles that decided to model a new movement based on that of the 1980s, in which more than 250 churches protected tens of thousands of migrants being denied asylum by the U.S. government and actually changed policy on the national level.

The May 16th decision, approved by an overwhelming 90% majority vote of church members, came after months of careful consideration after Rev. Hansen's October 2007 sermon introducing the proposal brought to her by the congregation's Social Action Committee.

The committee distributed written materials and also held a three-part series, "Over the Fence and Under the Radar: Conversations about Immigration," to enable members to cast a well-informed vote.

In March, they hosted a panel to discuss the role of cities and towns, in the absence of comprehensive federal immigration reform, in the accommodation, acceptance and inclusion of new immigrants. Panelists talked about ways that communities can help stop the scapegoating of immigrants while still addressing the concerns that an influx of new migrants brings to localities.

In April, congregants gathered for a potluck supper themed "Voices of Immigrants," hearing the stories of local migrants.

The third event, held on May 4, featured youth participation, and Father Juan Carlos Ruiz, coordinator for the New York City New Sanctuary Coalition gave a talk, "Everything You Ever Wanted to know about the New Sanctuary Movement but Were Afraid to Ask."

According to Chris Halfar, chair of the Social Action Committee, there will be several open meetings to structure and plan the congregation's actual role in the New Sanctuary Movement. The committee aims to build partnerships with Danbury's immigrant communities, provide hospitality and outreach to day laborers and offer "Know Your Rights" programs on an on-going basis.

Although due to city zoning laws, the congregation cannot provide physical sanctuary for families at risk of deportation, they are actively working to build bridges to connect with Danbury's migrants, focusing on immigrant newspapers and churches.

They hope to create a referral network for people that need help, especially among "mixed-status" families where parent(s) may be undocumented with U.S. citizen children.

About 200,000 individuals are deported each year, more than double the amount in 2000, and a sizable proportion is such families, in danger of being torn apart.

California currently has the highest number of families taking sanctuary in churches, and others are following suit in cities nationwide, but many others end up being deported before they can receive help.

The main message that beams forth as a result of this historic decision is a plea for immigrants to overcome any hesitation or fear about approaching the congregation for assistance.

As Lynn Taborsak, active member of the Social Action Committee, puts it, "We are here to help - we want to help people that have immigrant status problems...as soon as possible, emphasizing there's no ‘ifs', ‘ands' or ‘buts' about it!"

New Sanctuary Movement Pledge

The New Sanctuary Movement is a coalition of interfaith religious leaders and participating congregations, called by our faith to respond actively and publicly to the suffering of our immigrant brothers and sisters residing in the United States.

We acknowledge that the large-scale immigration of workers and their families to the United States is a complex historical, global and economic phenomenon that has many causes and does not lend itself to simplistic or purely reactive public policy solutions.

We stand together in our faith that everyone, regardless of national origin, has basic common rights, including but not limited to:
1) livelihood;
2) family unity; and
3) physical and emotional safety.

We witness the violation of these rights under current immigration policy, particularly in the separation of children from their parents due to unjust deportations, and in the exploitation of immigrant workers.

We are deeply grieved by the violence done to families through immigration raids. We cannot in good conscience ignore such suffering and injustice.

Therefore, We Covenant To:
- Take a public, moral stand for immigrants' rights.
- Reveal, through education and advocacy, the actual suffering of immigrant workers and families under current and proposed legislation.
- Protect immigrants against hate, workplace discrimination, and unjust deportation.

Source: TribunaCT.com

Copyright 2008 New England Ethnic News, EthnicNewz.org. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten o redistributed without the express permission of the source. Contact Newz for more information.