[1]Betsy Aldrich Garland is a vice president of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches [2], one of three clergy groups that have publicly opposed Gov. Carcieri's recent executive order [3] that cracks down on illegal immigration.
The State Council, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Providence [4] and the Rhode Island Board of Rabbis held a joint press conference last Wednesday, April 2, 2008, as part of its opposition.
Reaction to the executive order [5] – and sometimes Gov. Carcieri himself – has flooded local airwaves [6] and news reports [7] since the governor signed the order into law on March 27.
Garland, who is also the minister of administration for Beneficent Congregational Church [8] in Providence, spoke to EthnicNewz.org by phone on April 4. Following is the condensed and edited interview.
Gov. Carcieri and Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts declined to be interviewed.
Do you think Gov. Carcieri has any intention of taking the clergy seriously on this immigration matter?
It doesn't appear to (be the case) – but then again, I think the clergy are going to be really insistent on this one that they be listened to.
Why is the Rhode Island State Council of Churches getting involved with this political issue?
We need to care for our brothers and sisters in our midst (including) those who are here illegally.
Our traditions – the Jewish, Catholic and Protestant traditions – all speak about caring for strangers in our midst.
(Gov. Carcieri's executive order) is causing a great deal of concern and fear among people in our churches.
Some of our members are very concerned about what seems to be persecution of people.
Even those who are here legally are afraid to go out of their homes and are afraid of being stopped by the police (for example) for a broken tail light.
Are your church or Council members afraid of the police?
We're concerned about the police's use of a Department of Homeland Security national database (of names) that they (could) have access to via lab tops in their cars.
They could find people's names in the database and send these people (whom they stop on the roadways) over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (for detainment and/or deportation).
The database has a high percentage of errors. It could have misspellings (of names that result in non-criminals and legal immigrants being erroneously detained).
It takes a great deal of time to correct an error in the database.
Have church or Council members had unwarranted run-ins with the the police?
The other Council vice president is the Rev. Matthew Kai, a Baptist minister in Rhode Island. Some of his members who are from Liberia, they were scrutinized by police.
Many (of his members) are afraid to leave home even (though they) are legally in the country.
Rev. Kai himself, who was born in Liberia, had some problems even though he's a U.S. citizen.
It was racial profiling.
What is Providence, Rhode Island, like for immigrants? How immigrant-friendly or -hostile is it?
In the city, it's not too bad. But because of Rhode Island's enormous budget deficit, more pressure is being put on trying to find ways to cut costs.
So lots of people – whether it's older people or (beneficiaries of) housing programs – are all feeling the pressure of this enormous deficit.
And the state Legislature and the governor are trying to balance the budget on the backs of these (vulnerable populations).
What are you saying exactly about Gov. Carcieri?
I think he's looking for vulnerable populations to save some money, like the disabled and the elderly and the children and immigrants.
Do you think Gov. Carcieri is making scapegoats out of these vulnerable populations?
Yeah, I think he makes scapegoats out of them. When push comes to shove, very often the people who have the least resources and the least ability to fight back are the ones who are victimized.
As part of his response to the clergy, Gov. Carcieri said last week that the "procedures [in his executive order] apply solely to state officials and do not affect local governments or local law enforcement officials [9]." Is that of any reassurance to you?
No because it all trickles down. Think about all the programs that operate under or get funding from state agencies. It all trickles to low-income people in one way or another.
Furthermore, the governor said in his response that he "appreciate[s] the clergy’s right and obligation to speak about...important issues from a pastoral viewpoint....When an individual seeks their help, I understand that they have a responsibility to respond....But...I have a different obligation [10].” What are your thoughts? Is he missing the point?
I think he's missing the point because the whole Judaeo-Christian tradition is based on welcoming the stranger in our midst.
I think it's the responsibility of the governor to be the governor of all the people, not just the powerful interests and wealthy people.
But he's the governor of Rhode Island, not a member of the clergy who has religious traditions as the basis of his job. Do you still think he's missing the point?
I think he's missing the point because he's the governor of all the people.
Also, the governor has sort of inflamed all those (anti-immigrant) people (in Rhode Island) who call in to the radio talk-shows.
Does the Council want Gov. Carcieri to completely rescind his executive order?
Yes. Three speakers were at our joint press conference on Wednesday (April 2, 2008): the Rev. Dr. Donald Anderson, who is the executive minister of the RI State Council of Churches; Rabbi Alan Flam from Brown University (and the president of the RI Board of Rabbis); and Bishop Thomas Tobin [11] of the Roman Catholic Church (in Providence).
(Rev. Dr. Anderson has asked) the governor to be open to reconsidering his executive order and to meet with members of the community and faith leaders to discuss a better way to move forward.
What is it that you'd like the governor to do instead of cracking down on illegal immigration?
(Reads from issued statement) We call upon all of our leaders to press our national government to work towards a reasonable solution on the issue of immigration, that we as interfaith leaders meet as soon as possible – with those most affected by this issue – to find ways together towards a fair and just solution.
Editor's note: Bishop Tobin was out of the country at press deadline. However, his spokesperson, Michael Guilfoyle, told EthnicNewz.org in an e-mail that the bishop and Gov. Carcieri spoke briefly on the phone Wednesday, April 2, and that they will meet to discuss the matter in the coming weeks. Rabbi Flan declined to be interviewed due to work obligations.
And what should happen to these people who are here illegally?
They should be given amnesty and allowed to pursue citizenship.
Is it ironic that people of faith would want to protect something that's illegal?
A lot of people are here (illegally) because their family farms have been bought by big business, by American corporations.
(It used to be) that land was handed over from one generation to the next within families, so that they wouldn't be poor.
Now, they can no longer live on those lands or they've been pushed off their lands.
A speaker in Providence last week from Colombia talked about people being told they have to move off their land.
So these families have been pushed off their lands in Mexico or Colombia or wherever else. How do you justify protecting these people who are now here illegally?
I personally justify it because many of these people, particularly in Mexico, are no longer able to live on their lands because American business has taken over their lands and there's no way for them to support their families.
In some communities, all the men are up here and send money home. The women and children are living back in their home country.
What about people who are here illegally from other continents, such as Africa or Asia?
What the faith community needs to be doing is provide hospitality.
(Many immigrants) can't go back (to their home countries) or they'll be killed – or they have no place to go back to because their homes have been confiscated.
Some people would argue that they use public resources such as schools and medical care. What do you say to that?
They're also contributing members of the community. They contribute to the economy, work hard and pay taxes.
Source: EthnicNewz.org
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SEE ALSO:
Gov. Carcieri Orders Statewide Action to Curb Illegal Immigration [12]
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