What would we do?
On May 9th 32 people were arrested after Immigration Customs and Enforcement officers raided the Midwest Precast Concrete in Mt Pleasant. Later reports identified that 22 were from Guatemala, 7 from Mexico, 2 from El Salvador and 1 from Honduras. ICE officials said these men were not a threat to the public. It seems that while some might have entered the country illegally most just didn’t have documentation with them or the appropriate visas to be working.
What would we do?
News reports from that day talked about the family members anxiously standing outside the fence at Midwest Precast waiting for word about their loved ones. These were men who had families, wives and children, and friends.
What would we do?
The folks at First Presbyterian Church in Mt Pleasant already knew what they would do. They had decided several years ago to be a place of sanctuary for immigrant people/families. So they opened their doors immediately that afternoon as a place where family members could gather to reconnect.
In the following days they hosted a community forum with city officials and state representatives. The church joined others in collecting moneys and goods to be used to support those families who no longer had a source of income to pay the rent, the utilities, or put groceries on the table. They worked with others to help families access legal representation and raise the money needed to pay the $10,000.00 bond for release.
What would we do?
It’s not always a simple question to answer. We have laws for a reason and each of us value our safety. Immigration officials and police officers have a job to do that is often difficult.
It’s not always a simple question to answer. These are people, just like us, who work hard to provide for their families and seek a safe place for their families to live.
What would we do?
An elder from First Presbyterian Church told me what had been most surprising was that there were churches in town that were silent in the wake of these arrests and this disruption to the community.
What would we do?
Here at UPC we work to be welcoming, loving nurturing, serving, and generous.
Here at UPC we strive to be a church that is transforming lives by sharing our experience of God’s love and acceptance.
Here at UPC we are people being formed by our relationship with the one who says, ‘Truly, I tell you, just as you did to the least of these, you did to me.’
What would we do?
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