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An
Invitation to Join the New Sanctuary Movement
Overview
As an act of public witness, the New Sanctuary Movement will enable
congregations to publicly provide hospitality and protection to
a limited number of immigrant families whose legal cases clearly
reveal the contradictions and moral injustice of our current immigration
system while working to support legislation that would change
their situation.
These families will be in the deportation process, include citizen
children, have adults with good work records and have a potential
case under current law. The Center for Constitutional Rights is
working with a broad network of lawyers across the country to
provide expert legal counsel and support to each family. Participating
congregations will offer a family hospitality for a limited period;
the family will rotate from one congregation to another as needed
until their case is resolved. Because the family's identity will
be public, the congregations will not be violating federal law.
Host congregations will sign onto a Sanctuary Pledge. Other allied
religious leaders and congregations will also sign onto the Pledge.
They will also accompany the host congregations, providing spiritual
and material support as needed.
Goals
There are three goals for this New Sanctuary Movement:
• To take a united, public, moral stand for immigrant rights
• To protect immigrants against hate, workplace discrimination
and unjust deportation
• To reveal the actual suffering of immigrant workers and
families under current and proposed legislation to the religious
community and the general public
Structure
The New Sanctuary Movement is fundamentally an interfaith movement.
Secular immigrant and allied organizations are invited to partner
with the New Sanctuary Movement as needed, but the movement is
independent and faith-based. The National Day Laborers’ Organizing
Network (NDLON) and the Coalition for Humane Immigration Reform
of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) have been active participants in the creation
of the plan.
The New Sanctuary Movement is coordinated by CLUE-CA, IWJ and
the New York Sanctuary Coalition. There is a working group of
representatives from participating cities and denominational/interdenominational
institutions that will participate in the coordination until a
national steering committee is formed.
About
the Coordinating Organizations
Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice-California (CLUE-CA)
is an alliance of interfaith worker justice organizations dedicated
to building a faith-based movement for economic justice throughout
California. CLUE-CA has recently emerged as a leading organization
in coordinating the interfaith contribution to the struggle for
immigrant rights both in California and nationally.
Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ), the national network of interfaith
worker justice groups, is providing coordination and leadership
in many states, drawing upon the breadth of its connections in
the religious community, as well as engaging national religious
leadership in the effort. Interfaith Worker Justice is coordinating
production and distribution of congregational resources on immigration
and sanctuary.
The New York Sanctuary Coalition is coordinating the outreach
and recruitment of congregations in New York and surrounding states.
Although these three organizations are providing national coordination
and outreach, the New Sanctuary Movement is a democratic alliance
with principles and strategies determined by the participants.
Each participating interfaith network will have the room to tailor
its activities to its context.
LINKS
See
The Convening, Washington D.C.
See
Overview, Goals and Structure of the New Sanctuary Movement
See
About the Coordinating Organizations
See
Prophetic Hospitality: Strategies for A New Movement
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