I am a member of St Luke’s Lutheran Church in Waukesha which is a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Churches of America (ELCA). We are divided into regions or synods. My synod is the Greater Milwaukee synod.
Bishop Paul Erickson wrote a “pastoral message on Immigration Enforcement.”
“Like many of you, I have been watching what has been unfolding in the Twin Cities with increasing amounts of fear and anxiety. While the recent events surrounding the increased presence of federal immigration officials are unprecedented and alarming, they are becoming more and more common, leading many to wonder how we would respond if Milwaukee and the surrounding communities are next.”
My sister shared an article stating that my childhood home of Springfield,Ohio will be getting an ICE surge a little after the temporary protected status expires for Haitian immigrants. These are the Haitians who allegedly “ate the pets of the people who live there” mentioned in a presidential debate. When I moved to Wisconsin, Springfield seemed to be a dying city. Articles claim that the Haitians revitalized the city. My dad tells me that his former employer has more cars in the factory’s parking lot than it has in a long time. So, I suspect that immigration enforcement might drastically lower the working population in Springfield.
I don’t know if Milwaukee has any immigrants who will lose protected status soon. But, I suspect ICE would do raids on areas where they think illegal immigrants might be rather than specifically target illegal immigrants with a criminal conviction. So, I believe that ICE coming to Milwaukee should be responded to by locals, churches and others.
“In my conversations with various leaders, I have come to believe that the question is not if, but when. While I certainly hope that we do not experience what our neighbors are experiencing, I think we need to be prepared, and I am writing here with some steps we can be taking now to care for our neighbors and protect our rights and our freedoms.”
I think it is hard to protest peacefully when the government has killed two people in Minnesota. We are seeing videos of people dressed like soldiers with masks arresting citizens and gassing protesters. So, many of us feel like our government is ignoring us and want to force them to notice us. While this desire is understandable, we must find peaceful ways to respond.
“First, we need to be truth-tellers. What we are seeing in Minnesota and elsewhere is largely not an effort to target ‘the worst of the worst.’ While I affirm the responsibility of our law enforcement officials to apprehend violent criminals regardless of their citizenship status, we are seeing countless individuals arrested and detained, including citizens and those with legal resident status, simply because they look like an immigrant. Furthermore, immigration-related offenses are not criminal, but civil offenses, and all residents of this country have a right to due process, regardless of their citizenship status.”
I know that some of my Republican friends and family members feel empathy for the ICE officers who are being harassed by protesters everywhere they go. I recognize the need to enforce immigration law. However, I want ICE to focus on arresting illegal immigrants with a violent conviction on their record. We don’t have enough judges to provide everyone due process if we arrest every illegal that we can get our hands on.
Yes, I know that President Obama started expedited deportation for individuals who were in the country for short amounts of time. I don’t remember this but I have verified it with current articles. This was wrong too. It doesn’t matter which party, we still must provide due process for everyone within our borders. That is what “liberty for all” means in our pledge of allegiance.
I am also aware that truth-tellers have to seek out the truth. I try to do that except that I can only handle so much before my anger and sadness overwhelms me. I pray that everyone who reads this post is seeking the truth to the level that they are able to do so.
“Second, we need to bear witness. When Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Patrol (CPB) agents detain our neighbors because of the color of their skin or the language they speak, we need to show up, take videos, and document what is taking place. I do not encourage violent or obstructive behavior, but we need to make sure that those who violate our constitutional protections are held accountable.”
I have been thinking about this balancing act for months now. I know that I want to video any ICE action in my city but question whether blowing whistles is obstructing. If I warned a potential arrestee that the police were there, I’d be obstructing. But, ICE is randomly targeting people. So, I will be continuing to think about whether I feel comfortable blowing whistles or yelling during an ICE action.
Yes, I disagree with entering churches or keeping people up in hotels. These people should be arrested. I am not sure what the charges should be but they should match the crime. Entering a church and disrupting services shouldn’t be a felony. While it was wrong, it should be a lesser crime than a felony.
“Third, we need to love our neighbors. We are seeing that immigrants and other people of color in Minnesota are afraid to leave their homes to work,shop or even attend school, for fear that they will be swept up indiscriminately, even though they may be citizens or have legal status. We will need to come together to provide food,transportation, and other resources for our friends and neighbors, and I encourage us all to take time now to get to know our neighbors and identify the community resources wherever we live that may be called upon to provide support.”
I am uncertain how to do this for now. I love to be alone.
Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts ,with respect, in the comments.