Methodists tout an underground railroad for illegal immigrants

  Immigrant rights were once again the focus of passionate discussion among participants that the United Methodist General Conference. The conference is being held in Fort Worth. On Thursday, participants attended a rally and asked lawmakers for comprehensive immigration reform.

During a press conference Friday, leaders of the church discussed the role of churches as sanctuaries for undocumented immigrants. Some likened the movement to the Underground Railroad. The United Methodist Church Policy gives congregations the option to offer sanctuary to migrants facing deportation. Immigrants live in churches where they are fed and clothed. In some cases, the sanctuary effort has also involved other religions.

"It's something that local congregations have to want for themselves," said Elliot Wright, information officer for the General Board of Global Ministries. Wright said there are not any United Methodist churches in Texas offering sanctuary to undocumented people.

There have been high profile cases in Chicago and California.

None so far in Texas.

-Diane Smith

Comments

[rickycolonel]

With all the problems that have cropped up over the past fiften to twenty years, I am surprised that the issue of immigation had not been taken care of. It make me sick that we elect our Senators to the Senate and representatives to the House of Representatives to work for us, and they decide that they have got to help the poor immigrants. Is it not time that the immigrants were told that they should remain in their own country, that sooner or later the jobs they are coming to the United Sstes. for will be relocating. There are already enough people in the United States who are unemployed why would they want to come and stand in line here when they can do it in own country. Just wait a while and the job will come to you.
I do find it offensive that employers are still doing eerything that they can to undermine not just union labor but also the mandated by law minimum wages, by seeking employees who will work for less than minimum wages. Do they really want to turn the United States into a non-existent nation.
Our Senators and congressmen voted to have the border fence put up over a year ago and the fence is not yet completed. If they are going to do then do it. If it was so ordered, then get it done. I can see our leaders are not going to do it. There fore it is time for some governors to hit the road and get out of their offices and stand at the border armed with baseball bats to drive illegal immigrants away. But they won't do that. Therefore, Mr. Rick Perry forget about running for re-election year after nect. You won't have my vote. Neither will the Senators who are suppose to be representing me not the illegal immigrants that they feel so sorry for.

[So Free We Fool]

As an ex fourth generation Methodist, nothing made me more free than first reading of the Chicago Methosidt Church harboring illegal alien Elvira Arellano, while I was busting my tail trying to advocate and fight against all the suffering associated with the pourous MX borders and tonage of MX dope pouring in across those borders, fueling, feeding all the street crime...dope murders,cop killing, identity theft, illegal document industry... addiction and it's natural consequences of robbing, car jacking, home invading, child abuse and neglect... all the while, the so called (Methodist) church, indirectly assisting all this!! Housing em' and feeding em! A-men! My name is off the Methodist member roster..hallelujah!!!

[Disappointed in fellow man.]

Do people who complain about immigrants, ever stop and realize how lucky they are, how blessed they are.God created man and last time I checked he created this world we live in, I do not think he created borders, walls, fences.This maybe the country you are fortunate to reside in, but first and foremost this is Gods world that he created for all of us to live on. Why do people feel above God and think they decide who stays and who goes. These are some phrases that come to mind when people complain instead of giving thanks for the opportunities others do not have.
If the shoe were on the other foot,treat others as you would want to be treated,love thy neighbor,help others who are less fortunate,one nation under GOD, If things were the other way around, I am sure you would strive,fight,try for a better life for you and or your family. I am always amazed when people that are very fortunate still have the time to complain.

May God Bless,

[DFWBob]

Go after these people with the RICO law's.

[jackie]

Just in case you have forgotten how this country formed. It's a pitty how Patriotic Americans quickly people forget their own ancestoral and American History.

The New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Emma Lazarus

[Hoodlum of Mercy]

Disappointed in Fellow Man talks like a Methodist.

The difference between Hispanic immigrants and "the rest of us" - our ancestors came over *legally.* Do Methodists want lawlessness? Let's just do whatever we want and when we get caught we'll cry about how poor we are and how much help we need the goverment to get us. And how often do we hear of crimes being committed by Hispanic citizens/immigrants only to read a line in the news "It is believed the suspect is attempting to flee to Mexico." - Cowards. At some point the hard line must be drawn and we must hold fast to the difficult positions. Illegal immigrants DO NOT BELONG. We cannot support them.

[D.A.]

To disappointed in my fellow man, let's take a look at Mexico's immigration laws.
At a time when the Supreme Court and many politicians seek to bring American law in line with foreign legal norms, it's noteworthy that nobody has argued that the U.S. look at how Mexico deals with immigration and what it might teach us about how best to solve our illegal immigration problem. Mexico has a single, streamlined law that ensures that foreign visitors and immigrants are:

in the country legally;

have the means to sustain themselves economically;

not destined to be burdens on society;

of economic and social benefit to society;

of good character and have no criminal records; and

contributors to the general well-being of the nation.

The law also ensures that:

immigration authorities have a record of each foreign visitor;

foreign visitors do not violate their visa status;

foreign visitors are banned from interfering in the country's internal politics;

foreign visitors who enter under false pretenses are imprisoned or deported;

foreign visitors violating the terms of their entry are imprisoned or deported;

those who aid in illegal immigration will be sent to prison.

[Buzzm1]

Immigration breaks backs of taxpaying U.S. citizens

Are you having a hard time paying your bills, making your mortgage payments or putting your kids through college? You need to know how much of your hard-earned income the government is skimming off and diverting into handouts to immigrants and illegal immigrants.

You can read the depressing details in the new 70-page document called "The Economic and Fiscal Impact of Immigration" by Edwin S. Rubenstein. A Manhattan Institute adjunct fellow with a mile-long scholarly resume, he has been doing financial analysis ever since he directed the studies of government waste for the Grace Commission of 1984.

http://www.esrresearch.com/Rubensteinreport.pdf

The bottom line, which you need to know for your own bottom line, is that U.S. taxpayers are giving more than $9,000 a year in cash or benefits to each immigrant, a third of whom are in the country illegally. That's $36,000 for each immigrant household of four.

Because the U.S. has 37 million immigrants, legal and illegal, the national cost was more than $346 billion last year, which was twice our fiscal deficit. The cost of immigrants is so high because, as Rubenstein writes, "Immigrants are poorer, pay less tax and are more likely to receive public benefits than natives."

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=61861

The Bottom Line on Illegal Imigration is Red

As with all states, education is California's single largest public expenditure and commands 42% of that state’s $150 billion budget. The State of California's Legislative Analyst's Office reports that of the state's 6.4 million K through 12 public school students, one out of four is not fluent in English. Of that number, 85% are Spanish speaking. Additionally, one out of nine of these students require special education programs.

These children of Spanish speaking foreign immigrants increase California's K-12 enrollment by 21.3%, nearly 1.4 million students. At $11,584 each, which is the state’s 2007-2008 budgeted allocation per student, the cost of educating these students is $15.8 billion. Add in the $1.3 billion for special programs to accommodate non-English speaking students, and the cost increases to $17.1 billion. The state's current budget deficit is projected to be $16 billion.

http://www.capsweb.org/content.php?id=301&menu_id=8

[Bobby]

Agents of chaos. Traitors against the American citizenry. Sure, all of these churches would like to confuse the issue. The issue is clear. American citizens who do things honestly and openly,(the majority) have put laws into effect THAT SERVE TO PROTECT US. Not illegal aliens. We have placed officers in charge to carry out those laws. We have done all of this willingly. People who are advocating for illegal immigration, it does not matter if it is the business community, corrupt politicians, or even churches, are AGENTS OF CHAOS AND CONFUSION AND EVEN DEATH. This is proven to be the case, as illegal aliens, unfettered by those laws the citizenry have put in place to protect us,-- rob, rape, murder, repeatedly drive drunk, cause wage depression, commit document fraud of every kind, steal, and do it all with impunity. Citizens who NOW cannot comprehend what illegal immigration does WILL in the not so far future as the violence, and chaos increase. It's not rocket science.

[levotb]

buzzm1 has it right, as always! These churches are aiding and abetting Federal lawbreaking. If DHS and the DOJ had any cojones, they'd bust these so-called "churches" which are no longer places of worship but rather have long become sites for aiding and abetting lawbreaking and defying the laws of the land. These so-called "churches" hide behind their faith in order to get taz-free status, giving them even more money to hire big-time lawyers to defend the indefensible. I say REMOVE THESE CHURCHES' TAX EXEMPT STATUS and let's see how long they can survive while breaking Federal law. Do you know that it's a FELONY to aid and abett an illegal alien in remaining in this country? Yep.

[lance sjogren]

The politically correct title:

"Methodists tout an underground railroad for illegal immigrants"

The accurate title:

"Methodists tout a criminal human smuggling operation for illegal aliens"

[lance sjogren]

jackie:

It's bizarre that you open-borders wackos try to use a poem that refers to immigrants as "wretched refuse" as propaganda for your cause.

I should also point out that the Statue of Liberty has nothing to do with immigration.

It would be nice if people who feel called upon to speak on a particular issue tried to do a little study so they know what they are talking about.

[lance sjogren]

Disappointed in fellow man:

I am disappointed in you for how ignorant you are.

Let us go through your words to look at the stupidity under a microscope.

Do people who complain about immigrants, ever stop and realize how lucky they are, how blessed they are.

---

First of all, I don't see a lot of people complaining about immigrants, most people are complaining about illegal immigration, and for the most part they are not complaining about the illegal aliens themselves, they are complaining about the fact that our idiot politicians refuse to enforce the law.

And I can't speak for others but I have often reflected on how lucky I am to have had the opportunities that have come from being born in this country. But it does not follow that means that it is right for the country to let everyone in who wants to come.

---

God created man and last time I checked he created this world we live in, I do not think he created borders, walls, fences.

----

So man should not create anything? We should not create computers? Airplanes? Irrigation canals? Homes? Welfare programs?

Would you contend that we should not have programs to provide food to people in the third world because God did not create those?

Bizarre, truly bizarre. The absolute absense of any rationality in some of these kooks like Disappointed is truly a frightening thing to behold.

----

This maybe the country you are fortunate to reside in, but first and foremost this is Gods world that he created for all of us to live on. Why do people feel above God and think they decide who stays and who goes.

----

This extends your previous absurdity to a new level, now you are saying we should not have laws because God didn't make them.

You are obviously an anarchist. I should point out, anarchism leads to fascism. The chaos that will occur if we adopt an anarchist society will lead to a public demand for a dictator to bring order.

That's right, your philosophy will lead to the second coming of Adolf Hitler.

---

These are some phrases that come to mind when people complain instead of giving thanks for the opportunities others do not have.

---

There are some phrases that come to mind when someone makes as much of an idiot out of himself as you do.

----

If the shoe were on the other foot,treat others as you would want to be treated,love thy neighbor,help others who are less fortunate,one nation under GOD, If things were the other way around, I am sure you would strive,fight,try for a better life for you and or your family. I am always amazed when people that are very fortunate still have the time to complain.

-----

Well, when all else fails, invoke the Golden Rule, which is a total load of crap.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

So if I am a prison guard I should let a murderer escape because if I were a murderer in prison I would want a prison guard to help me escape.

Your mental level is about that of a 5 year old.

Actually, that's unfair to 5 year olds.

[Tom]

First the Catholics and now the Methodists?

Isn't there accurate words in the Bible for religions that are against the JUST laws of man, Nations and Christ?

Babylon the Great!

[Disappointed in fellow man.]

As an employee of JPS and Cook Children's let me be the one to tell you. Immigrants cannot receive benefits such as medicaid, you have to be a citizen. Thus, who will come in faithfully and pay their hospital bills in cash every Friday when they get paid. I see them constantly making arrangements to pay 11,000.00-90,000.00 bills due to not being eligible for public assistance due to being non citizens. Using crime as a reasoning is weak. Crime is out of control, no matter if you are here legally or illegally. The only reason it stands out is because newscasters are now ending news stories with "the suspect was in this country illegally" or "the suspect is an illegal immigrant" just like when they say "two black males" or a "black male". From news stories you can only assume when the crime was committed by a white person. I never hear the suspect was white at the end of a story.
As for a report written by "Rubenstein" from Manhattan. How much further could you get from our Texas Borders.
Billions of Dollars spent is relative--------This does not even mean much in this wasteful country, just take a look at what this country has spent on a War that is costing lives, putting a price tag on helping our neighbors does not make sense.

I can tell you that when I have issues financially, I am not looking at immigrants who are working hard and living on basic means. I tend to look at all of the greed in companies today that pay the lowest wages to college graduates and loyal employees.Then insulting their employees with an average .35-.40 cent raise while the administrators are getting richer from "Bonus Pay",Kickbacks. Just read the sickening JPS Front page, the American Airlines VIPs receiving Bonus pay while asking other departments to take cuts in pay, Or watching companies outsource to other countries and putting Americans out of Jobs. These issues are more maddening than reading about healthcare for immigrants, our own cannot even afford healthcare working for greedy companies in a country based on material items. Just visit an immigrant's home or homes and you will see that they, unlike most Americans are not trying to keep up with the Jones or living out of their means.

[Brittanicus]

ONLY YOU CALLS CAN STOP THIS AMNESTY..? JAM THE SWITCHBOARDS TODAY!

There is a RED ALERT today as Leading Democrats, trying to force on the American public another AMNESTY, without public knowledge. Go here to read about this current travesty of Immigration laws. This will give millions of aliens, fast access to your tax dollars in welfare payments. You decide at WWW.numbersusa.com. Toll free your Democratic representative at 202-224-3121 )

Only unrelenting American patriots can stop the move towards any AMNESTY. State laws such as Arizona, Georgia, Oklahoma and Rhode Island has shown that by closing the doors to illegal immigrants, their unemployment rate was reduced. With illegal aliens fleeing these states, predator employers have had to hire legal citizens and green card holders. Here is an amazing exposure of Arizona economic recovery!

(http://mensnewsdaily.com/2008/05/15/striking-changes-in-arizona-as-illegal-immigrants-flee-the-state/#comment-62672 )

Just read this disturbing revelation of costs, that our government skims from our paycheck to pay an illegal's. (www.eagleforum.org/sources)