Photo by Erik Alsgaard, Baltimore-Washington Conference
Immigration Airport Demonstrations
United Methodists were among those who protested the original ban on Muslims' immigration from the Trump Administration in January. Now some of the lawyers who stepped up to aid those immigrants are being targeted by the U. S. Justice Department.
While many have been transfixed in recent months by U.S. politics, United Methodist leaders have been engaged in widespread efforts to ramp up the worldwide denomination’s efforts around the global migration crisis.
Momentum for greater involvement in around global migration ignited in mid-January after President Donald J. Trump issued his first, hastily drawn travel and immigration ban targeting immigrants and refugees from seven predominantly Muslim countries. The resulting outrage spurred thousands to protest the ban, which was halted by federal judges. The chaos it caused also disrupted the refugee resettlement efforts of Church World Service, an interdenominational agency supported by The United Methodist Church.
Although immigration issues – especially stepped-up enforcement and deportation of undocumented people – have seemed focused on U.S. problems, the global migration crisis is affecting The United Methodist Church worldwide, according to Thomas Kemper, top executive of the Atlanta-based General Board of Global Ministries. In his April 20 address to Global Ministries directors, Dr. Kemper noted there are currently 65.3 million people involuntarily displaced outside their home countries, reported Elliott Wright on the board’s website. Of these, 21.4 million are refugees as recognized by the United Nations.
In addition, Dr. Kemper said in his address, the number of refugees accepted by the United States – currently set at 50,000 – compares unfavorably with displaced populations elsewhere. “Turkey today has 2.5 million refugees, Pakistan 1.6 million, Lebanon 979,400, Ethiopia, 736,100, and Jordan 664,100, according to figures from the United Nations,” wrote Mr. Wright.
U.S.-based United Methodist efforts on migration issues intensified in mid-March when 37 United Methodists from each of five U.S. jurisdictions came to the General Board of Church and Society in Washington, D.C., to strategize on how to respond to immigration issues in the United States. The event was sponsored by the United Methodist Immigration Task Force, a group organized by the Council of Bishops and chaired by Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño of the California-Nevada Annual Conference.
“Church and Society was intentional about inviting teams from every conference and jurisdiction,” wrote Maria Penrod on the board’s website. “The goal of the gathering was for people to return to their jurisdictions and annual conferences to do regional trainings, creating a domino-effect of training on immigration issues.” Participants agreed on four emphases for United Methodist ministry: sanctuary churches; care for women and children; youths; and just (fair and equitable) public policies.
As reported by David W. Scott on the UM & Global website, three other church-wide events quickly followed:
- a March 21 "vital conversation," "Called to Welcome Refugees," sponsored by the General Commission on Religion and Race;
- a March 30 migration seminar organized by Global Ministries; and
- a March 31 interagency workshop convened by Bishop Carcaño.
In addition, Dr. Scott noted four regional events on migration:
- A community conversation on March 21, hosted by Florida Bishop Ken Carter.
- A rally and prayer vigil on April 1, sponsored by the Wisconsin Annual Conference.
- Immigration clinics on April 29 and April 30, sponsored by the California-Pacific Annual Conference.
- A workshop for local churches on May 6, sponsored by the San Antonio Region Justice for Our Neighbors (SARJFON).
In his April 20 report to the Global Ministries board, Dr. Kemper highlighted top-level United Methodist missions work on migration:
- United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has allocated some $5 million in the past five years to projects helping refugees from Iraq and Syria.
- In South Sudan, health programs assist South Sudanese refugees in Uganda displaced by civil war and famine.
- Increasing numbers of missionaries and young adult Global Mission Fellows are working primarily with migrants (currently 41 out of 340). The greatest number of these missionaries are serving in Europe, where churches help to receive refugees from Afghanistan, Syria, and Africa.
- U.S. racial/ethnic ministry plans reach across international borders in church development and service. Global Ministries administers four such plans involving Asian American language groups, Korean ministries, Hispanic/Latino ministries, and Pacific Islanders.
- Support for Church World Service, an ecumenical partner and one of nine agencies certified by the federal government to resettle refugees in the United States—a program hard hit by the Trump Administration reduction from 110,000 to 50,000 refugees that can be placed in the United States during 2017.
- Assistance to National Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON), a now-separately incorporated organization that was founded by UMCOR to provide free legal assistance to immigrants in the United States.
At its Spring meeting on May 4, the Council of Bishops supported a proposal by the Immigration Task Force to request a Special Sunday mission emphasis and a grant from the church-wide contingency fund for $200,000 over the next four years. Bishop Carcaño said the money would be divided among the five U.S jurisdictions to support migration-related ministries.
That request went to the Connectional Table, United Methodism’s program and budget coordinating agency. During its May 16-22 meeting in Oslo, Norway, the Connectional Table voted to grant the migration effort $100,000 from the contingency fund in this budget year, with the option to request another $100,000 next year if the efforts succeed. The coordinating agency also approved the request for a Special Sunday offering on the first Sunday of Advent, which is Dec. 3 this year.
As is often the case with United Methodist mission efforts, tension exists between providing services and attempting to change the systems that shape the needs for services.
"Many of our churches provide services, but they aren’t organized to change the law and change the environment for immigrants in their communities,” said the Rev. Lyssette N. Perez, president of MARCHA, on the Connectional Table’s support of immigration ministries in an article by Heather Hahn for United Methodist News Service.
Several recent federal developments appear likely to affect United Methodist efforts on changing U.S. immigration laws. Among the most recent news articles on them:
The Airport Lawyers Who Stood Up to Trump Are Under Attack, by Rachel B. Tiven, May 23,The Nation