Supporting Immigrants in the New Administration

Dear Friends,

Over the last week, faith leaders and community members have met at Fairview Community Church in Costa Mesa, St. John’s Episcopal Church in San Bernardino, and the Los Angeles Episcopal Diocese to articulate the grave threats to immigrants and our communities in the face of the incoming Administration.

Thank you to more than 150 faith and community leaders who joined and to many who pledged on the spot to offer “Sacred Resistance and Sanctuary” in the face of deportations and discrimination.

I want to share some of yesterday’s calls to action and invite you to take the next step.

• Order Know Your Rights Cards for your congregants or print your own
• Sign the Sanctuary Resistance and Sanctuary pledge
• Join us on December 18, 2024, at 10 AM for International Migrants Day National Day of Action. (Flyer here.) RSVP to Sithy Bin for meetup instructions ([email protected])

If your congregation is interested in offering sanctuary, you will find an FAQ from the ACLU here. 

In the coming weeks, we’ll circle back with more information and resources on how your congregation can best support those at risk of deportation in coming years.

Thank you for walking this path with us,

Rev. Jennifer

HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR IMMIGRATION SOLIDARITY STRATEGY SESSIONS

If you were unable to attend, you’ll find below highlights from our prayerful and powerful gatherings. Thank you again, to our hosts and to all who made these such impactful events.

We remembered child and family separations and DACA status rescinded. We recalled specific hate crimes and xenophobic attacks against Muslims and Asians. We lifted up the chaos and uncertainty suffered by families stranded on the other side of the border and families here who suffered under the silence of domestic abuse lest they be deported for reporting their crimes.

Faith leaders spoke of specific responses to these threats from the first Trump administration:

• Working with Immigrant Defenders to bond detainees from detention and reunite them with their families.
• Fundraising to supply unaccompanied children with backpacks, toys, and coloring books.
• Holding vigils at police headquarters and federal buildings to bring visibility to siblings being harmed by local law enforcement, ICE, and harmful Federal policies.
• Making pilgrimages to Adelanto to inspect detention facilities and call out unsafe and unsanitary conditions.
• Creating a Rapid Response Network to accompany workers and families from threats and detention.
• Accompanying faith leaders themselves under threat of deportation

We heard stories 

Marlene is a 13-year-old whose mom and dad are undocumented. She’s afraid to be left alone for fear that she may not see her mother again.

Vicky, whose husband has so far fended off orders of removal, says she feels like they are living a nightmare because he has another ICE check-in in January.

Finally, we took stock of our resources and commitments to support immigrant families in our community.

We can

• Show up with a prayerful presence and offer support at ICE check-ins
• Share our sermons, homilies, and reflections to help faith leaders speak to their congregations. 
• Make sure that our congregants know their rights as they encounter ICE at work, outside school, or in the grocery store parking lot.
• We can show up for immigrant families on the streets, in detention, and in the courts.

What a fruitful beginning to our work together in this current climate!

May we spend this holiday season strengthening our resolve for the days to come to provide sanctuary for everyone who lives and works here in Southern California.