Editor's Note: The following are comments by Church and Society General Secretary Jim Winkler at a press conference organized this month by Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform in Washington, D.C.

Click here to listen to Jim Winkler's speech.

We call on people of faith to stand with immigrants as fellow human beings deserving of God’s love and to advocate for effective immigration policies consistent with our history as a nation that respects the rule of law, but welcomes immigrants who come in search of a better life.

I come from an immigrant family myself, although my family arrived here much earlier than those experiencing difficulties today. The demonization of immigrants in the media and by some members of Congress coupled with the sudden increase of deportations and lack of federal regulation of detention standards represents an assault on the human rights of all immigrants, regardless of their legal status.

The demonization of immigrants in the media and by some members of Congress ... represents an assault on the human rights of all immigrants.

Most troubling of late is how hateful language is being treated as acceptable in the mainstream media and all too many other public places. The Anti-Defamation League has issued a series of reports about the growing influence of groups purveying virulently anti-immigrant and anti-Hispanic rhetoric. The ADL notes that several of these groups have been empowered by the media to position “themselves as legitimate, mainstream advocates against illegal immigration in America.” The media quotes these hate mongers frequently, and they are even asked to testify as experts in the public interest.

I am sad to say some of the anti-immigrant voices are members and clergy of my own denomination. Here is an e-mail we received last year from a United Methodist pastor:

Just out of curiosity ... what part of ILLEGAL don't you get? It means that someone entered this country WITHOUT OFFICIAL SANCTION ... they crossed the borders of this sovereign nation WITHOUT HAVING AUTHORIZATION TO DO SO — that, folks, is a technical INVASION, or an ACT OF WAR.

 

What that means, is that these "enemy" combatants are fair game for being rounded up and herded into PRISONER OF WAR compounds, until a state of war — declared by our Mexican, Central and South American neighbors — ceases to exist. That will happen when (1) they cease their invasion, (2) are caused to or voluntarily surrender or (3) they are finally overwhelmed and defeated by counter attack and main force.

You are aiding and abetting the enemy, which is an act of treason, punishable by death or life-time imprisonment at hard labor — that is according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and applicable United States Statutes (as well as the terms of the Geneva Convention).

Needless to say, I won't be there, unless it is to see you all arrested for treason and then I'll cheer as you are carted off to the pokey.

Fortunately, there are other voices in The United Methodist Church speaking on behalf of immigrants. In February 2008, leaders of our church will meet near El Paso to be part of the “Bishop’s Border Network” of bishops from both the Methodist Church of Mexico and The United Methodist Church.

Recent election results in Virginia and New York continue to show what was seen in the 2006 elections: that demonizing immigrants in order to gain votes and win elections does not work. The media is an unwitting accomplice to this form of social and political scapegoating.

What people really want is leadership, not racial demagoguery. Leadership will provide a path to citizenship for the undocumented, protect the rights of workers, and preserve the dignity of immigrants and their families.

While Americans are concerned about the rule of law and protecting our nation’s borders, we must also be supportive of a humane response to the undocumented immigrants currently in our country. While we applaud those Christians who have given voice to the serious moral concerns around our current treatment of immigrants in our midst, we urge more people to engage on this critical issue.

We must also be supportive of a humane response to the undocumented immigrants currently in our country.

Congress and this administration appear to have given up on providing the necessary leadership to humanely and effectively repair the broken immigration system, but people of faith throughout the country are stepping into the void to exhibit that leadership. It is people of faith who steadfastly stand with immigrants by providing services, such as free legal counsel to immigrants through programs similar to The United Methodist Church’s Justice for Our Neighbors.

Christians would do well to remember Christ Jesus’ own life was characterized by uprootedness. The infant Jesus and his family had to flee to Egypt to avoid persecution and death; they became refugees, sojourning in Egypt until they could come home.

Jesus was a person on the move. “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nets; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Matt. 8:20) Jesus made a point of spending time with the poor, the powerless, the despised and rejected.

The United Methodist Church has declared that we stand firmly opposed to state or federal legislative action that discriminates against immigrants. Numerous ministries are underway such as a border ministry in Southern California that includes a partnership of U.S. and Mexican Methodist congregations who sponsor a feeding program for transient people. The partnership also provides “Hope Packs,” backpacks that contain items to assist people on their journey home. In addition, assistance is given to the Methodist Church in Mexico to create and promote employment to the migrant returning home.

People of all faiths also continue to provide key leadership in advocating for humane and effective immigration reform. Currently, The United Methodist Church as part of the Iowa Interfaith Immigration Coalition is helping mobilize hundreds of churches in Iowa to circulate a petition through churches, synagogues and other faith communities. The petition reads:

We pledge ourselves as people of faith and goodwill to stand with our immigrant neighbors who have come to the United States from throughout the world. Recognizing the moral imperative to welcome the stranger in our midst, we commit ourselves to support laws that affirm their dignity, preserve their families, and acknowledge the value of their presence among us.

The petition will be presented to the presidential candidates next month.

We encourage current members of Congress and the presidential candidates to follow the lead of the people of Iowa and to refrain from scapegoating immigrants both in their campaigning and their policymaking.

Regardless of where one stands on the policy debate, the dehumanization of immigrants is at clear odds with Christian values of compassion, mercy and dignity.

What should the Church have to say to a world infected with the virus of violence? Do we have any helpful words to speak to a world torn apart by war and too often blinded by arrogance?

Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno is a United Methodist who has become a powerful voice in the fight to stop extrajudicial killings and abductions that have haunted his country since 2001.

The Oregon-Idaho Conference with Peace offers the 22nd edition of its Peace with Justice Advent devotion booklet.

Eight-week internship, sponsored by the General Board of Church & Society (GBCS) and the Inter-Ethnic Strategy Development Group, celebrates diversity and highlights its importance in today’s Church.

"Living Faith, Seeking Justice" conference provides sense of affirmation that persons in the Philippines are not alone.

This holiday season you can give the gift of life by supporting the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund.

"Christianity is not just a social club. ..."