Why Should the Church Care About Immigration?

The following piece was written by CCO leader   and Saint Paul School of Theology seminary student, Orlando Gallardo.  He is speaking from his faith, as a Christian, while reflecting on the role that faith leaders can and should play in the immigration debate.   The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Orlando Gallardo.

When we were meeting about the program for this event, I, as a good seminary student gave the idea that we should relate the issues of immigration to the church.  Everyone looked at me and told me that I should be the one to do that….So here I am…my advice to you is do not suggest any ideas unless you want to have a responsibility for them on any given event. 

 All joking aside, isn’t that the problem with the church today?  It does not want to take any responsibility about the way in which society is living.  We do not want to be too awkward or we do not want to be too political.  We do not want to take sides so that we do not lose members who disagree or lose the support of people who have money.  Yet my question to you is:  Was Jesus concerned about losing members or about money or about who agreed with him or not?

 From what I read in the gospels Jesus was more concerned in doing what is just and right.  Jesus was crucified because he was making a claim that was radical but it was the right claim.  Jesus welcomed everyone into the kingdom of God, both Gentiles and Jews.

 Did you know that the Law of Moses denied full citizenship to Gentiles?  There were some harsh requirements to become a full citizen of Israel.  In Deuteronomy 23:3-8, the text reads that Ammonites and Moabites were out of luck; they were never allowed to become full citizens.  Edomites and Egyptians were allowed to be full citizens but only after the third generation.  This is what the Law of Moses was claiming.  For some people this was the law of God and there was no other way around it.  One has to follow the law.  I mean the law is the law…right!?

 Well brother and sisters the gospel of Jesus claims something else.  In Ephesians 2:11-13 and 19, one reads about the gentiles, “Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called ‘uncircumcised’ by those who call themselves ‘the circumcision’ (which is done to the body by human hands) —remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. …Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household…”

 You see brothers and sisters; the gospel is re-defining the laws of Moses.  May I suggest that it was doing a reform of the laws of Moses about who was welcome as full citizens of Israel.  The gospel was saying that the immigration laws that Moses had established were not working.  Therefore, the gospel opened the citizenship of the gospel to everyone; it did not matter the color of one’s skin or their ethnicity…whether you are Asian or Hispanic or Black or White or any other label society wants to use to divide us…We are full citizens of the kingdom.

 Now before we think of this claim as being only a spiritual citizenship.  That is not the case of the gospel.  The laws of Moses, just like today’s immigration laws, affected society in the first century.  If you were a Gentile, in the first century, you were not welcomed inside the temple.  You were not allowed to take leadership; you were a second class citizen.  Does that sound similar to the stories that we have heard about undocumented immigrants so far?

Brothers and sisters this fight for justice is not a new fight.  The laws of the land always need to be reconsidered and we need to ask ourselves: are they just?  

 The church must care about unjust laws because Jesus cared.  The gospel proclaimed freedom from oppression to everyone.  Back during the times of slavery in the U.S.A. people used to say that slavery was the law, but God said those laws are not just.  Back when they considered women as second class citizens, they used to say those are the laws.  But God said those laws are unjust!  Back when segregation was the law, God again said those laws are unjust.  Today, immigration laws are saying that undocumented immigrants do not have the right to pursue a better life…what do you think that God is saying today about immigration issues?  

 You know the famous saying, “What would Jesus do?”  I am asking you brothers and sisters as the church: what do you think that Jesus would do after hearing these stories and the issues of immigration?  May we respond and act in the same way that God has called us to do.  Amen!

The St. Anthony Organizing Committee Demonstrates Power in Action!

Community leaders and public officials tour blighted homes in Northeast neighborhood.

The St. Anthony Catholic parish organizing committee, in partnership with the Scarritt Renaissance neighborhood, demonstrated the incredible power a community wieldswhen neighbors come together for a common cause. The St. Anthony Catholic parish is a member of Communities Creating Opportunity.

After repeatedly hearing concerns about blighted buildings in the neighborhood, the St. Anthony Catholic parish organizing committee created a ten-page list of properties that were abandoned or in disrepair. 

They then organized a tour of the neighborhood for Codes Enforcement, Legal Aid, Community Interaction Officers, and other neighborhood groups. The tour highlighted the overwhelming need for revitalization in the neighborhood.

Less than one month after the tour, the St. Anthony organizing committee is proud to announce the following accomplishments:

• Forty-five properties were identified as being in violation of housing codes.
• Forty of those properties now have open cases that inspectors will be following up on this month.
• Six vacant structures were boarded up.
• Four properties have been slated for demolition this summer.
• One vacant property was emptied of its illegal inhabitants (who were engaging in criminal activities) by the police.
• One block has been identified as a target block for urban homesteading and holistic revitalization.
• The Department of Neighborhood Preservation already has crews out mowing and clearing weeds, and they have promised transparency in the court process so that residents may track the progress of codes violation cases.

For nearly 30 years the St. Anthony organizing committee has been working to create a safe community for northeast Kansas City neighborhoods.

Bringing Health Reform Home to Kansas City

It’s a tough time for the voices of everyday Americans to break through the debate over the budget and healthcare. Nikki, a CCO leader shared her healthcare story in radio ads that were created for the first anniversary of the Affordable Care Act.

Click here to listen to the ad.

Take a Stand for Fair Lending

Our Families Deserve Better than Triple Digit Interest Rates  

 Every day, thousands of families in Missouri struggle to stretch their wages across mounting bills. Times are tough, and within our communities we are finding that too many families lack the income to meet their basic needs. In these difficult times, many seek small dollar credit, like payday and car title loans, that charge upwards of 400% interest and can spiral hard-working families deeply into debt.

We know from the teachings of our diverse faith traditions that triple digit interest rates are unfair.

For thirteen years, CCO has been fighting to reform small dollar lending in Missouri, a state where the legal interest rate cap on payday loans is an appalling 1,950% APR. From our research, we know that the average payday borrower repays $710 for a $300 loan, and that families in Greater Kansas City pay a whopping $26 million in payday loan interest fees each year.

We’ve worked hard this past year to create strong laws that prevent predatory lending. Unfortunately, the only payday regulation bill that has been voted out of committee, HB 656 sponsored by Rep. Ellen Brandom, is NOT real reform.

HB 656 bill would allow lenders to charge up to 1,500% APR, and it would leave millions of Missouri families trapped in the payday debt spiral.

CCO believes that in order for lending to build assets in our communities, lending products in Missouri must abide by a
fair interest rate. Without a strong interest rate cap of at least 36% on small dollar loans, our families will continue to be abused by predatory lending, and our communities will continue to reel from the wealth drain.

Communities Creating Opportunity, an affiliate of the PICO National Network, is non-partisan and not aligned explicitly or implicitly with any candidate or party. We do not endorse or support candidates for office.

Love Binds Us Together

By: Rev. Haywood Wiggins, PICO National Network

As each one of us tries to make sense of the shootings in Arizona, we offer our heartfelt prayers for those who were killed and injured. Our souls weep at so much senseless bloodshed.

Yet even amid unspeakable violence we know that the love that binds us together as a community is stronger than the hate that would divide us.
Dorwin Stoddard died shielding his wife from bullets. Daniel Hernandez ran towards the gunshots. He used what he learned in high school to
triage the victims and save the life of Congresswoman Giffords. After being shot Patricia Maisch wrestled a magazine of bullets away from the shooter, averting even more killing. They represent our better selves.

Each week PICO leaders across the country make smaller but important sacrifices to build a vibrant democracy. We organize against violence in all its forms. We take our children to events like the one hosted by Representative Giffords in order to teach them that democracy is a sacred gift. How tragic that a child would be killed at such a place and time.

The overwhelming response to the shootings shows how desperately the American people want to resolve our differences without resorting to
violence. Now we have an opportunity to walk back from the brink, to learn from the example of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who treasured the
humanity of his opponents, even seeking to transform those with whom he
disagreed through words and deeds of love.

Take the pledge for our better selves and forward to your friends.

Last March Representative Giffords called on community leaders to denounce violent rhetoric after the front door of her office was shattered following her vote for health reform. She warned that violent
threats have consequences. Yet we failed to speak out loudly enough, and for that we apologize.

The Prophet Nehemiah and our own history as a nation teach us that any serious effort to transform a community toward justice is open to being
ridiculed and threatened with violence. PICO and CCO are committed to creating a
safe space for people to participate in democracy. We urge the U.S. Capitol Police to increase security at public events with Members of
Congress without impinging on the ability of ordinary people to interact with their representatives.

We commit to pray for Representative Giffords and the other victims and their families, for the attacker, for our country, our elected officials, and all of the diversity that makes us a great nation.

We also recommit to fostering civil debate on health care, immigration, violence prevention, and the other issues that matter to our families. In coming weeks we will continue to host public events to highlight the
need to create a just health care system.

Vote Today!School Board Elections

Remember to vote for Kansas City, MO School Board members today. Polls are open until 7 p.m.

Six candidates are running for two at-large seats: Rose Bell, Kyleen Carroll, Cokethia Hill, Kenneth Hughlon, Robert Peterson and Crispin Rea.

“The important thing is to vote,”said Mary Ellen Decoursey, a member of the Visitation Catholic Church local organizing committee. Visitation is an affiliate of CCO.

“These candidates will represent the entire KCMSD district for the next four years,” DeCoursey added.

Visitation’s organizing efforts are focused on education. Nearly 200 people attended a School Board Candidate forum that they planned with other area congregations. Last fall, they organized a public action with Superintendent John Covington. More than 350 people attended the event, which focused on safety, budget transparency and communication between the district and parents. They will meet with Dr. Covington later this month to follow up on his pledge to work with the community to resolve these issues.

From the State of the Union Speech, Excerpts on health care, foreclosure and immigration

Here is the transcript of the sections of the President’s speech dealing with foreclosure, health care and immigration.
Strong support for comprehensive health reform.: “I will not walk away from these Americans, and neither should the people in this chamber…the people expect us to solve some problems, not run for the hills.”

Foreclosure

…That’s why we’re working to lift the value of a family’s single largest investment — their home. The steps we took last year to shore up the housing market have allowed millions of Americans to take out new loans and save an average of $1,500 on mortgage payments. This year, we will step up re-financing so that homeowners can move into more affordable mortgages.

Health care Reform

…And it is precisely to relieve the burden on middle-class families that we still need health insurance reform.

Now let’s clear a few things up — I did not choose to tackle this issue to get some legislative victory under my belt. And by now it should be fairly obvious that I didn’t take on health care because it was good politics.

I took on health care because of the stories I’ve heard from Americans with pre-existing conditions whose lives depend on getting coverage; patients who’ve been denied coverage; and families — even those with insurance — who are just one illness away from financial ruin.

After nearly a century of trying, we are closer than ever to bringing more security to the lives of so many Americans. The approach we’ve taken would protect every American from the worst practices of the insurance industry. It would give small businesses and uninsured Americans a chance to choose an affordable health care plan in a competitive market. It would require every insurance plan to cover preventive care. And by the way, I want to acknowledge our first lady, Michelle Obama, who this year is creating a national movement to tackle the epidemic of childhood obesity and make kids healthier.

Our approach would preserve the right of Americans who have insurance to keep their doctor and their plan. It would reduce costs and premiums for millions of families and businesses. And according to the Congressional Budget Office — the independent organization that both parties have cited as the official scorekeeper for Congress — our approach would bring down the deficit by as much as $1 trillion over the next two decades.

Still, this is a complex issue, and the longer it was debated, the more skeptical people became. I take my share of the blame for not explaining it more clearly to the American people. And I know that with all the lobbying and horse-trading, this process left most Americans wondering “what’s in it for me?”

But I also know this problem is not going away. By the time I’m finished speaking tonight, more Americans will have lost their health insurance. Millions will lose it this year. Our deficit will grow. Premiums will go up. Patients will be denied the care they need. Small business owners will continue to drop coverage altogether. I will not walk away from these Americans, and neither should the people in this chamber.

As temperatures cool, I want everyone to take another look at the plan we’ve proposed. There’s a reason why many doctors, nurses and health care experts who know our system best consider this approach a vast improvement over the status quo. But if anyone from either party has a better approach that will bring down premiums, bring down the deficit, cover the uninsured, strengthen Medicare for seniors and stop insurance company abuses, let me know. Here’s what I ask of Congress, though: Do not walk away from reform. Not now. Not when we are so close. Let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people.

Now, even as health care reform would reduce our deficit, it’s not enough to dig us out of a massive fiscal hole in which we find ourselves. It’s a challenge that makes all others that much harder to solve, and one that’s been subject to a lot of political posturing.

…..

So no, I will not give up on trying to change the tone of our politics. I know it’s an election year. And after last week, it is clear that campaign fever has come even earlier than usual. But we still need to govern. To Democrats, I would remind you that we still have the largest majority in decades, and the people expect us to solve some problems, not run for the hills. And if the Republican leadership is going to insist that 60 votes in the Senate are required to do any business at all in this town, then the responsibility to govern is now yours as well. Just saying no to everything may be good short-term politics, but it’s not leadership. We were sent here to serve our citizens, not our ambitions. So let’s show the American people that we can do it together. This week, I’ll be addressing a meeting of the House Republicans. And I would like to begin monthly meetings with both the Democratic and Republican leadership. I know you can’t wait.

Immigration

And we should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system — to secure our borders, enforce our laws, and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nations.

In the end, it is our ideals, our values, that built America — values that allowed us to forge a nation made up of immigrants from every corner of the globe; values that drive our citizens still. Every day, Americans meet their responsibilities to their families and their employers. Time and again, they lend a hand to their neighbors and give back to their country. They take pride in their labor, and are generous in spirit. These aren’t Republican values or Democratic values they’re living by; business values or labor values. They are American values

Congressman Dennis Moore Addresses Health Care Concerns at CCO Action

 

Congressman Moore Addresses Health Care Questions

“I’ve told people (that) congress should have done something about this 40 years ago,” said Rep. Moore. “We can’t change what didn’t happen for 40 years, but I’m hopeful we’ll get something passed this year.”

Moore, who is stepping down at the end of his term, said that at this point, there is really no way to tell if health care reform still has any shot of passing this year.

Dave Froelich — WDAF-TV

Faith Groups Press Congress to Stand Up for Families; Health Reform

National Call-in Day Monday to mobilize hundreds of thousands of people of faith

After a week of political twists and turns in Washington, people of faith across the country are stepping up with a massive effort to remind Congress that the urgent need for reform has not abated for suffering families. In the face of uncertainty, they are telling their elected representatives that the millions of Americans who cannot afford health care need leaders to fight for them, not fold.

Numerous religious groups are mounting a national call-in day on Monday, January 25, to tell Congress that we need strong, courageous leadership to ensure that the lives and livelihoods of Americans no longer fall victim to insurance companies’ greed. Partners in this effort to mobilize hundreds of thousands of contacts to Congress include: Faithful America; PICO National Network; Faithful Reform in Health Care; African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME); Sojourners; United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society; Gamaliel Foundation; Interfaith Worker Justice; NETWORK – A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby; Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Washington Office; Union of Reform Judaism; Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Washington Office; United Church of Christ; Jewish Reconstructionist Federation; Islamic Medical Association of North America; and Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition.

In addition to the these call-ins, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism is bringing hundreds of high school student advocates for health reform to Capitol Hill for visits with Members of Congress.

“One election half-way across the country has done nothing to change the desperate need of children and families in our community for affordable health care,” says Rev. Rayfield Burns, a PICO leader from Communities Creating Opportunity in Kansas City, MO.

Faith leaders across the country who have worked hard for reform all year are keeping up the fight for desperately needed legislation and demanding that their political leaders do the same. We cannot quit now – there are too many lives at stake.

Contact: Tim Lilienthal, PICO, 413-537-0631 (http://www.coverallfamilies.org)

A community organizer remembers Ted Kennedy

Dear PICO Organizers,

Last night at 1:45 AM, I left the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library,
located in the Dorchester part of Boston where I live, having joined tens
of thousands who paid their respects as his body lay in state there.

Earlier in the day at 5:00 PM, my wife and I stood beside two leaders
from another community group I’d once worked for who we had run into, too
see the motorcade with his casket and funeral pass by at the entrance to
the Kennedy Library about 3/4 mile from the actual library. These leaders,
one of whom pushed the other who was wheelchair bound, brought a hand made
sign to hold up that thanked Ted Kennedy for all he did.

For people around my age, which is now 58, we remember where we were when
we heard of President Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963, when we woke
up to learn of Robert Kennedy’s assassination in June of 1968, and now Ted
Kennedy’s passing which I learned about when I opened my newspaper on Tuesday
morning.

There’s a bit of a full circle for me remembering as a boy of 10 waiting
for President Kennedy’s motorcade to pass through my home town during the
1960 election campaign and waiting again yesterday for his brother’s last
motorcade.

Each generation can carry their poignant memories of national events that
touched them just as my mother told me how people of her generation remember
where they were when they learned of President Franklin Roosevelt’s death
in April of 1945.

If I can be so bold to say, I think we at PICO try to operate humbly in
Ted Kennedy’s way. We have principles, but we are willing to compromise.
We see a glass half filled and not one half empty as giving some new opportunities
for people and some lessening of injustice. We try not to demonize our opponents
but try to reach them, but we do fight tenaciously for what we believe in.
And we know we have our own failings just as he knew he did.

PICO’s first national campaign on health care was to increase the funding
and scope of the SCHIP children’s health care program. Senator Kennedy had
first developed this legislation and the campaign to pass it in 1997. Because
our local organization was part of PICO, we did a share of organizing on
this PICO campaign and we organized a press event on SCHIP that Senator Kennedy
spoke at along side of Diluvina Vazquez Allard, one of our leaders, in 2007.

Showing the staff organization and personal touch Ted Kennedy was famous
for, I even got a thank you note from him thanking me for working on the
event that include a personal handwritten note of thanks from the Senator.
You can imagine I treasure this note just like a letter I have signed by
Robert Kennedy in 1967.

And on our other national issue of immigration reform, Senator Kennedy’s
bill in 1965 changed the system and the face of our country. When immigration
restrictions were passed in the 1920′s in conservative reaction to the streams
of poorer immigrants who had come from Eastern and Southern Europe in 1890-1920,
like all my grandparents, the new law much restricted the numbers of annual
immigrants and gave much higher quotas to Northern European countries. Senator
Kennedy’s 1965 legislation ended this discriminatory preference and gave
people from Third World countries more of a chance to immigrate here. And
again, three years ago, it was he who developed the bipartisan Kennedy-McCain

Immigration Reform Bill, that we worked for and is the basis of the next

campaign we are part of. (editors’ note: for more info on the Cover All Families Campaign, http://bit.ly/Vf0GQ

—-Lew Finfer