Sanctuary movement still has a heartbeat

J.J. Jackson* | November 24, 2006

CHICAGO — Three months ago, Elvira Arellano and her son Saul walked into the Adalberto United Methodist Church with nothing but the clothing they were wearing and a plan: to hide in the church’s second-story apartment until the U.S. government granted her permission to stay in this country.

Elvira, a Mexican immigrant, and Saul, who was born in the United States, also had an unusual cheerleader in their defiance of the federal government: the city of Chicago.

This spring, the City Council unanimously supported Mayor Richard M. Daley’s executive order stating that no city official or agency will aid federal immigration investigations unless ordered to do so by federal law or court order.

“Mayor Daley even wrote a letter to immigration officials” on Arellano’s behalf, said church pastor Walter Coleman.

As the 2008 presidential contest begins to pick up steam, and immigration promises to be a key point of contention, a growing number of local agencies and state officials are debating the issue of providing sanctuary for illegal immigrants. The goal? To find a balance between enforcing federal law and protecting the needs of their immigrant communities.

Critics say towns and cities that offer sanctuary wrongly obstruct federal law. Proponents say cities are simply shifting the burden back to the federal government.

“Securing the borders is not the job of our police,” said San Francisco Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval, who spearheaded a measure to endorse the city’s 1989 sanctuary policy.

The Voice

Minutemen: The Battle to Secure America’s Borders

(Book)

Authors:Jim Gilchrist, Jerome R. Corsi, Congressman Tom Tancredo
Manufacturer:World Ahead Publishing
Released:25 July, 2006

Minutemen: The Battle to Secure America’s Borders

(Book)

Authors:Jim Gilchrist, Jerome R. Corsi, Congressman Tom Tancredo
Manufacturer:World Ahead Publishing
Released:25 July, 2006

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