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LEGAL
HELP & SUPPORT
 Peter
Shey, executive director and president of the Center
for Human Rights and Constitutional Law in Los Angeles.
The Center is a non-profit, public interest legal foundation
dedicated to furthering and protecting the civil, constitutional,
and human rights of immigrants, refugees, children, and the poor.
The Center is generously supported by the California Legal Services
Trust Fund, the Liberty Hill Foundation, and its many members.
Students, lawyers, and other volunteers are encouraged to join
the Center's efforts to protect and promote domestic and international
civil and human rights.
LEGAL JUSTIFICATION
Legal justification for the legal status of congregations participating
in this sanctuary per the Center for Constitutional Rights
"Immigration and Nationality Act 274(a)(1)(1)(iii), 8 U.S.C.
1324(a)(1)(A)(iii)(1988) states that a person is guilty of a felony
who with knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an
alien has come to, entered or remains in the U.S. in violation
of the law conceals, harbors or shields from detection or attempts
to conceal, harbor or shield from detection, such alien in any
place, including any building or means of transportation....
All cases decided under 1324(a) involve defendants who simply
kept silent about the aliens' presence, rather than individuals
who have reported the aliens' presence to the INS but who have
continued to shelter them. Accordingly, a congregation that houses
undocumented migrants will likely not be prosecuted unless they
are attempting to conceal such alien from Immigration and Custom
Enforcement detection...
In addition, Senate Bill 2611, Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Act of 2006, passed the Senate 62-36 in May 2006 provides a specific
exception from liability for individuals or organizations who
encourage a person to reside in the United States or harbors an
illegal alien from detention with knowing or reckless disregard
of their illegal status. The exemption applies to individuals
or organizations, not previously convicted of a violation of this
section, who provide an alien who is present in the United States
with humanitarian assistance, including medical care, housing,
counseling, victim services and food, or to transport the alien
to a location where such assistance can be rendered.
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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