United Methodists call for immigration awareness
Iowans gather in front of the federal building in Des Moines for a vigil in
support of workers arrested in an immigration raid at the
Agriprocessors meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, in this May 2008
file photograph.
UMNS file photos by Kristin Clark Nolan. |
A UMNS Report
By Kathy L. Gilbert*
May 11, 2009
Church bells will ring as a call to justice on May 12, when
faith-based organizations join in solidarity with a community in Iowa
that was the site of a massive immigration raid last year.
United Methodist churches will join with others around the United
States to commemorate the day Immigration and Customs Enforcement sent
900 agents to the small town of Postville and arrested 389 people
working at Agriprocessors, the nation’s largest kosher slaughterhouse
and meatpacking plant.
“It breaks my heart, the things that have happened since that day,”
said the Rev. Carol Kress, First United Methodist Church, in nearby
Decorah, Iowa. “But it has also been amazing to see that God’s grace
has been a net that holds us up.”
A visible presence
United Methodist Women are calling for a “visible, national” presence
on May 12, to raise awareness of the need for comprehensive immigration
reform. Observances will be held at 10 a.m. around the United States,
marking the hour when federal agents descended on the meatpacking plant.
Many congregations will be holding prayer services and vigils in
addition to ringing bells and sounding shofars, a horn used for Jewish
religious purposes. Churches will light candles and read aloud the
names of those arrested in the raid. Red ribbons will be worn to
signify solidarity, and in Postville, supporters will walk to the
Agriprocessors plant after worship services at St. Bridget Catholic
Church.
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David Ochoa joins the vigil.
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The United Methodist Council of Bishops expressed its commitment May 8
to advocate for comprehensive immigration reform that is human and
effective and that upholds the human and civil rights of immigrants. On
the final day of their spring meeting, the bishops approved a statement
addressing the U.S immigration situation, saying they have become aware
of the daily suffering of immigrants and such problems as abuse in the
workplace, indiscriminate federal raids, and indefinite detention and
deportations that tear families apart.
“It is hard to believe that people are working under such conditions in
this country,” said Women’s Division director Ollie Pleggenkuhle, who
lives close to Postville and has been involved in the UMW response to
the raid. “The raid has been devastating to families. Please get
involved on May 12 and beyond, helping to change policies that have
created situations like Postville.”
The Rev. Jim Perdue Burke, pastor of Mission Mateo 25, a Hispanic
ministry of the United Methodist Northwest Iowa District, organized a
prayer vigil after the raid in 2008. He plans to drive 300 miles to
Postville on May 12.
“I, for one, feel called to be there,” he said. “I am convinced that
those who still stand among the ruins of what was once a vibrant
Guatemalan and white Iowan community in Postville need to see all of
the kind faces that they can. They need a palpable witness of a
Christian ‘body’ with another vision for America’s future, one that
includes their future as well.”
Changing lives
Most of those arrested in the raid were from Guatemala. St. Bridget
Catholic Church became the primary shelter for the immigrants and cares
for 42 women released for humanitarian reasons to care for their young
children. The women still wear GPS devices on their ankles a year after
the raid.
“They have not been charged, but they can’t leave, they can’t work and
because they are undocumented, they are not eligible for social
services,” Kress said. “They are entirely dependent on churches for
rent, food and other necessities. St. Bridget’s budget is $80,000 a
month to care for these women and children. I can’t imagine where they
are getting that money except from God’s grace.”
United Methodist churches in Iowa are sending donations to help St.
Bridget and also providing dental and eye care to immigrant children. A
law in Iowa requires that every child in kindergarten and eighth grade
receive eye and dental exams. Often, it is the first time a child has
been tested and many needs are uncovered, Kress said. So far, United
Methodists in Iowa have sent $10,000 for the follow-up medical care.
Postville lost nearly a fifth of its population with the raid, and many
businesses have closed as a result. Last year, the number of houses on
the market in Postville was 17, compared with 217 today, according to
Kress.
“I just wish some things had occurred a long time ago that could have
stopped this from being such a big hardship,” Kress said. “For five
years, the Social Security office had been notifying the plant they had
illegal Social Security numbers on file. The poorest, the least
educated are bearing the suffering.”
Kress said the outpouring of help and the generosity of the church amaze her.
One example is what a United Methodist couple has decided to do for a
young man born to immigrants who will be graduating from high school
soon. He is an artist and sells his drawings to raise money for
college. The couple, who want to remain anonymous, told Kress they have
decided to fund his college education.
“It’s incredible,” Kress said. “They have just changed his future.”
*Gilbert is a news writer for United Methodist News Service in Nashville, Tenn.
News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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Resources
Archdiocese of Dubuque—Postville Relief
United Methodist Women
Iowa Annual Conference
United Methodist Board of Church and Society
Immigration and Refugees |
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