Stop Raiding our Churches

The urgent need to resolve the immigration problem and demand that ICE stop their raids is getting closer to home. For about the last two years I have tried to encourage pastors and ministers to speak out against the raids and the lack of respect and dignity ICE has for our people.

Thus far the church has been safe until last Saturday. In Yavapai County in Arizona, the Sheriff's Office responding allegedly to complaints of people fighting and creating a disturbance prompted them to arrest several men at the camp ground.

The rest of the story is simply a tragedy and should serve as a warning that now, not even a church on retreat can be safe from the local sheriff deputies or ICE agents.

In Yavapai County, the Christian church, Christian Agape from Phoenix was sponsoring a church retreat for a group of men. According to the Phoenix Republic newspaper, it reports members of the group started singing songs and praying around 6:30 a.m. or so in the morning.

When the Sheriff Deputies arrived, they ended up detaining at least 12 men including an 11 year old child. They ended up deporting 7 males back to Mexico; one person was released after he proved he had the proper documents to be in the country legally.

Unfortunately, the 9th person, the pastor, identified as Rev. Manual Maldonado was not released. His status to be in the country is being disputed and no doubt a judge will need to decide his case.

But let me go back and repeat..­. 7 Christian men were deported to Mexico and the pastor was not released.

This is an outrage and must be condemned by every faith leader and pastor not only in Arizona, but across this country. Fortunately, the pastors in Arizona have issued a joint interfaith statement charging that law enforcement officers were guilty of racial and religious prosecution.

Other members of the Alliance of Religious Leaders say the raid and arrests were prompted by skin color and profiling, and that many of the church members are undocumented.

If this incident does not cause people of faith to condemn the arrests of men in song and prayer at a church retreat, then I ask you to drop to your knees and ask for forgiveness.

This is simply unwarranted, it is a raid against church going men, and is an affront to our religious beliefs and values. Furthermore it is against our rights under the United States Constitution for the right of assembly and freedom of religion.

We know that many of our church members may be undocumented immigrants. As a practice, I have never heard of any pastor demanding status papers before anyone could worship in our churches.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this will have an alarming effect on church members who may be undocumented. Now, no doubt many will fear getting together for worship, prayer, and praise.

The Phoenix Republic newspaper quotes Rev. Jose Gonzalez, involved in the Latino ministry in one of the local Baptist churches. "He said Hispanic pastors, who previously had said this won't happen to me, this won't affect my congregation" attitude on immigration, now are taking it more seriously.

Pastors, we all better take this deplorable and unacceptable action of the raids more seriously as well. ICE condones these raids and it is time they are stopped!

I encourage and I am sorry my friends, but for those pastors who still think this is not a problem, demand that we condemn these raids against Latinos worshipping, praying, and singing to our Lord Jesus Christ in our churches or in public campgrounds.

Those of you who used to laugh at my predictions..­.now we all need to pray in unity for our congregations and our families.

As Magdalena Schwartz, an assistant pastor at Iglesia Comunidad de Vida church in Mesa quoted in the Arizona Republic said, "We cannot encourage people to go camping any more," Schwartz said."For us, it's an evil attack. We cannot pray any more in the public places, or go camping because somebody can call the sheriff. It's intimidation. It makes us scared."

Fidel "Butch" Montoya
H. S. Power & Light - Latino Faith Based Initiative