Immigration Debate: Unified Religious Community Exercises Influence
What happened?
Congress recently passed two strikingly different immigration bills in the midst of a contentious national debate. While the House bill (H.R.4437, passed on December 16, 2005) turns charitable assistance provided to undocumented immigrants into a felony, the Senate version (S.2611, passed on May 25, 2006) provides for an earned path to legal citizenship. This pro-immigrant Senate legislation gained significant support as a result of pro-immigrant mobilization by faith leaders around the country.
Beginning in late March 2006, the religious community played a key role in organizing a string of pro-immigrant protests across the nation. The movement led up to a major coordinated event on May 1, “A Day Without Immigrants�. At rallies throughout America including ones that hosted 500,000 in Washington, DC, and 400,000 in Los Angeles and Chicago, religious and community leaders conveyed a potent message of compassion that elected officials took seriously.
What methods did faith leaders use?
The success of the mobilization around compassionate immigration policies was largely due to the speed with which people were united and organized around the cause. Religious leaders planned their movement with members of community groups, labor unions, Latino organizations, and unexpected allies in the business sector who rely on the work of immigrants. In San Diego, organizers planned the largest rally in the history of the city within a limited time frame of only two weeks. They arranged bus transportation and distributed 20,000 flyers detailing an upcoming rally at job sites, church services, swap meets, soccer matches, and the San Ysidro border crossing. Juan Escareno, of the Detroit faith-based organization Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength (MOSES), coordinated with Spanish-speaking media outlets. “They are the best for getting the word out,� said Escareno. A DJ on WSDS-AM 1480, La Explosiva, for example, dedicated her program to speaking with undocumented workers and their experiences. She also had more than 50 Latino business owners call in and say they would close shop in order to support and participate in the downtown rally.
What was their message?
Once the rallies for “A Day Without Immigrants� had been planned, numerous religious leaders took to podiums across the country to articulate why their faith compelled them to oppose the House –passed bill (H.R.4437). Catholic bishops offered strong statements affirming the rights and interests of immigrants. Cardinal Roger Mahony of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, America’s largest Catholic archdiocese with 5 million members, stated, “The War on Terror isn’t going to be won through immigration restrictions…It is staggering for the federal government to impose penalties for what our faith demands of us.� Other faith leaders echoed these sentiments, including the executive council of the Episcopal Church, which passed a resolution on March 9, 2006, declaring “strong opposition� to any policy that made assisting undocumented immigrants a felony. The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism supported its position with a quote from the Book of Leviticus, which reads, “The strangers who sojourn with you shall be to you as the natives among you, and you shall love them as yourself for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.�
What challenges were faced?
The movement faced both internal and external disagreements. Besides its rallies, “A Day Without Immigrants� was planned to be a national boycott demonstrating the necessity of immigrants in daily American life. However, not all organizers agreed this tactic should be employed. Cardinal Mahony, for example, discouraged the boycott but encouraged participation at the rallies after school or work. Organizers in Los Angeles found a middle ground by holding smaller rallies during the day and their largest events during the late afternoon.
Another challenge faith leaders faced was a relative lack of knowledge pertaining to church positions on immigration among some public officials. Congressman Peter King of New York, self-described as a practicing Catholic, stated, “This is the left wing of the Catholic Church – these are frustrated social workers.� The united voice of the Catholic bishops on this issue disputes such a claim, and led to Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver to assert, “We need to educate, educate, educate.�
How can you use this example?
Though the rallies of May 1, 2006 were national in scope, it took the mobilization efforts of individuals at the local level for the movement to be successful. Organizers with an intimate knowledge of their community were able to tailor their efforts, including the distribution of flyers at soccer matches by San Diego volunteers and the cooperation between Detroit volunteers and popular Spanish-speaking radio stations. Cooperation between activists and established church leaders, like Cardinal Mahony, gave legitimacy to the movement and provided the opportunity to change the minds of many people motivated by faith. The continued presence of a faith-based message will remain important as the House and Senate meet in conference committee to put their respective bills together and craft the ruling law.
Key Links
Religion Informs Immigration Debate, Religionlink.org
Justice for Immigrants: A Journey for Hope (The Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform)
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Office of Migration & Refugee Services
