A delegation of prominent evangelical leaders traveled to Alabama this week to oppose the state’s new immigration law, HB 56. The group spent a day at a Birmingham church, where they talked to educators, students, health care providers, pastors, and families impacted by the law, they told reporters on a conference call yesterday.
Where Are White Evangelicals Now?
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, described HB 56 as an “anti-American,” “anti-Christian,” “anti-family” “violation of basic civil rights.” He said it is instilling fear, not only in undocumented immigrants, but in those who are in the United States legally.
I asked Rodriguez if there is more or less white evangelical support for comprehensive immigration reform now than there was when I interviewed him about the issue for Christianity Today in 2006.
“We have more white evangelicals supportive than in 2006 for sure, both in its leadership and from people in the pews, but I cannot come to the considered conclusion that we have overwhelming or even majority support in the evangelical community for a comprehensive solution,” said Rodriguez. “We do not have enough support to push back the Alabama law.”
Rodriguez described Alabama as a strongly evangelical state in the heart of the Bible belt and said that if Christians had put their faith before their American citizenship, the law would never have passed.
“It was Christian apathy in Alabama—that’s the best case scenario—if not Christian endorsement of the Alabama law that has resulted in our current malaise,” said Rodriguez.
Does Rodriguez Regret African American Comparison?
In light of UrbanFaith reader criticism of Rodriguez’s statement to CNN comparing the plight of Hispanics and undocumented immigrants to that of African Americans, I asked if the comparison diminished the long history of African American oppression in this country.
“No, as a matter of fact, I stand by my comments one hundred percent,” said Rodriguez.
“I can tell you that the vast majority of African Americans understand that what’s taking place here is a lot more than just illegal immigration. …The things that we’re seeing in Alabama and Arizona, these manifestations, they’re not addressing the elephant in the room. They’re trying to go around it, and that is the Latinization of America. The 21st century is an immigrant civil rights issue, a Latino civil rights issue because the vast majority of immigrants are Latino. This has to do with pressing one for English and pressing two for Spanish. Let’s not be naive. This is not just about illegal immigration,” Rodriguez explained.
Earlier on the call, Rodriguez had said his organization is launching a campaign to encourage Hispanic leaders and pastors move to Alabama in order to test whether or not the intention of the law is to “purge” Alabama of “any ethnicity group that does not reflect the majority composition of the state.”
Perhaps this is what he had in mind when he told me “initiatives, campaigns, billboards, conference calls” won’t succeed. “We need a movement that will accomplish comprehensive immigration reform,” Rodriguez concluded.
Is the Moral Obligation Greater?
Dr. Carlos Campo, president of Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia, also weighed in on the Civil Rights movement comparison.
“This movement is not about a people that are protected, at least in language, by the laws of the United States as fully, clearly as African Americans were, at least in the letter of the law,” said Campo. “That’s one of the reasons there’s an even greater obligation in terms of a moral response here, is these are the least and the last in our community. These are the very ones to whom we believe our God would call us to because they don’t have equal protection under the law.”
Campo doesn’t believe Alabamans fully understood the implications of the law, he said.
“I think there were certain leaders who did understand, but I believe there are a number of people in the Alabama faith community, as they see the implementation of this law, are appalled by what has been passed. And I think it is time for folks in the church not to remain silent any longer and to speak up on behalf of those who cannot or are too fearful to do so,” said Campo.
Is HB 56 Racial Profiling at Its Worst?
Also on the call was Rev. Daniel DeLeon, Senior Pastor of Templo Calvario in Santa Ana, California, and chairman of the National Hispanic Pentacostal Congress.
DeLeon was motivated to go to Alabama after he heard politicians say the law is accomplishing what they wanted it to accomplish. This represents “racial profiling at its worst,” he said. It bothered him too, as an American citizen, to see that “human rights have gone out the window,” he said.
Rev. Jim Tolle, senior pastor of Church on the Way in Los Angeles, California, described himself as a Republican evangelical, and said he believes “subconscious racism” was at play in the passage of HB56. He called attention to the fact that all Americans other than “first nations people” have immigrant histories. “Everybody arrived without permission,” said Tolle.
Both Tolle and DeLeon talked about the immigration struggles of longtime members of their Calfiornia churches. Tolle said a 27 year member had been deported “overnight” and DeLeon said a leader in his church had been trying unsuccessfully for years to legalize his immigration status. Both of these men have children who were born in the United States, the pastors said.
Do the Players Matter?
Robert Gittelson, co-founder of Conservatives for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, said nothing that undocumented immigrants face in California compares to what they are facing in Alabama and Arizona. He noted that Arizona senators John McCain and Jon Kyl were key proponents of the failed Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 and a key “obstructionist” was Alabama senator Jeff Sessions. Sessions is still a leading opponent of comprehensive immigration reform, he said.
What do you think?
Is Rev. Rodriguez’s response to reader criticism of his African American / undocumented immigrant comparison adequate?
I see HB 56 as only the latest gesture in a string of gestures by white conservatives who have no truck with standing with HB 56 and still adhering to a Christian identity [which is why I don’t agree with Rev. Rodriguez’s comments about “anti-Christian”]. While Rodriguez’s comments about Blackamericans may have been in questionable taste, it does highlight one thing: the remnants of the white Christian South [Jim Crow’s legacy] are still very much in power. Just ask your average Muslim what they think about Alabama and its stance on Muslims. It isn’t much better.
Marc Manley
Muslim Chaplain – The University of Pennsylvania
The majority of Americans are already aware the paramount seriousness of the illegal alien occupation, which has spread like a virus across this nation. Our Schools have suffered and our children’s classes especially in the inner cities have exploded in mass. On the Southwest coast 79 hospitals have been forced to close, having not sufficient funding to accommodate low income people, but more so illegal alien families that go to these locations for even minor infections. Large community hospitals are under constant swarms of the poor from other countries and stifling the use of our own stricken poor. Some loyal politicians have dared to go against their own party elite, who truly believe that the American people should come first, risking their seats in Congress to sponsor an domestic immigration law, that can release the crush of numerous eras of government unfunded mandates.
Even under enormous pressure in not cooperating with corporate and special interest lobbyists, who can withhold campaign money and even injuring their chance of reelection; they have not stumbled and dropped this new impending law. Obama and his/our so called public servants have shown their aversion to enforcing our 1986 Immigration laws and instead threatened states who are out to lighten the terrible money burden on their residents. To be fair, the President did begin the purge of illegal immigrants with some gusto? But eventually his Liberal backing contained the volume deportations and changed to a more lax enforcement. There is no difference between any individual who scorned our entry laws. This is criminal act—first slipping past the border fence, or flying to this country under false pretences is a violation, then using forged documents to settle here is a felony?
So why has not any U.S. government through 25 years recognized this offense as a felony? Is it because farmers and their counter parts in thousands of businesses enjoyed cheap labor, to work the fields? Paying little in compensation and using the taxpayer to school the illegal alien kids, then being forced by circumstances to consume more taxpayer dollars by going to emergency rooms. The farmer prefers to remain silent on this issue, even as most residents have no idea?
This issue has grown to such outrageous proportions, then left to each of the 50 states–that is sinking in fiscal quicksand and unable to dig out. Following the example of the great border State of Arizona already crippled by large numbers of poverty from across the border, the potential of repeated financial ruin– as already seen in the Sanctuary states of California and Nevada. Seeing the potential for their own deficit demise, states including Alabama, Georgia, Indiana and South Carolina have enacted their own policing laws—even though they are being hounded by Obama’s judicial department. The controversial E-Verify enforcement program, can no longer be ignored as its grown in remarkable strength, although demonized by the Leftist press. Its nationwide operation will start to reduce illegal immigration if made law. As E-Verify intensifier’s illegal aliens will recognize that jobs are no longer open to them and the program will expel them from the workforce.
Using these billions of dollars, states will have the money for infrastructure repair and many other projects. California is heavily burdened with illegal aliens, which Los Angeles county welfare costs alone could easily supplement the small states of Vermont or Rhode Island ‘Gross Domestic Product’ for a whole year.
Prison accommodation and jails will become less populated as more and more illegal aliens will remain in their own country and the majority of hangers-on self-deport. Education facilities will not have to hire substantial numbers of bilingual teachers and billions of dollars will be finally saved across the board. The already obscene figure of $113 billion dollars can be re-absorbed into state treasuries for our resident old, homeless and sick. Extra dollars can be spent on more internal enforcement and then we can then adopt a more uniform ‘Guest Worker’ program with a verifiable tracking system, not the fraudulent mess that is been engineered by the business industry.
When the TEA PARTY wins the Senate, state policies such as Sanctuary Cities, Dream Acts and any shape or form Amnesty will be outlawed. Contact the Washington switchboard at 202-224-3121 and they can direct you to all House Representatives responsible for moving Chairman Lamar Smith’s ‘Legal Workforce Act’ (bill H.R.2885) to the House floor and enactment. Spare a few minutes of your time to get all your questions answered. Go to NumbersUSA website and judge for yourself about the costs and other questions that deserve an honest answer? Learn also about the corruption that has erupted for years in the federal and state circles at Judicial Watch.
We need a strong contender for the next president, who will not undermine our immigration laws. Mitt Romney has attacked Rick Perry has non-comprehensible approach to not building the border fence, as originally intended in the 2006 Secure Fence Act. Cain and Bachmann clearly have displayed their ability to enforce immigration policies. ALL—have been graded, including President Obama on their records of upholding immigration laws at NumbersUSA.
Contact the ‘Ways and Means Committee led by Majority Speak John Boehner (R-OH) must adopt the Mandatory E-Verify Bill (H.R. 2885.) and should be under interminable flak of challenging voters, as never before. In just over two weeks, American activists have added Reps. Chip Cravaack (R-Minn.), Tim Johnson (R-Ill.), Reps. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) and Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) John Sullivan (R-Okla.) Rep. Ralph Hall (R-Texas), Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) and as of November 16, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.) and Rep. Pete Olson (R-Texas) is now co-sponsoring House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith’s Legal Workforce Act (H.R.2885.) New members are rapidly joining this marathon bill. But don’t expect Liberals or career Democrats to attach themselves to this law. Eventually it will be the fresh faces of the TEA PARTY leadership that will bring success.
Attn: If you want your vote to count, then we must demand a nationwide government law, to insure our electoral process is protected. There is an elevated issue of illegal aliens voting in our elections. Obama’s organizations like Acorn are still out there and under a new name can badly damage a citizens voting privilege. In close races forged absentee ballots and registrations could change the course of America’s future. We need fair elections, but must have individuals show none-reputable ID photo evidence of a right to vote. Currently, Democrats are trying to pass even flexible laws, which could easily be compromise the integrity of our votes.
I have several questions on this issue. Why is it that if you disagree with Rev. Rodriguez you’re anti-American, anti-Christian, etc.? Why can’t it be that you disagree with him and his supporters and that be the end of it? What is it that folks don’t understand about “illegal”? Most people don’t have a problem with legal immigration. Why is it that if you have a problem with illegal immigration you’re a racist or ignorant at best? There is a question that I never hear asked by anyone. What about the millions of people who want to enter this country legally but are on waiting lists? Why should illegal immigrants stay and those who want to do it the right way need to wait? Doesn’t the Reverend’s stance encourage more illegal immigration? I know if I were someone who wanted to come here, I would find a way to Mexico then cross the border.
I am sick of the disagreement on issues resulting in the name-calling. Why can’t we have a vigorous debate minus the “you’re a racist, anti-American, anti-Christian bigot” rhetoric? All it does is shut down the conversation. Maybe that’s the point!
Question for anti-whites:Why should white people be forced to accept white genocide?
Africa for the Africans,Asia for the Asians,white countries for EVERYBODY!
Everybody says there is this RACE problem. Everybody says this RACE problem will be solved when the third world pours into EVERY white country and ONLY into white countries.
The Netherlands and Belgium are just as crowded as Japan or Taiwan, but nobody says Japan or Taiwan will solve this RACE problem by bringing in millions of third worlders and quote assimilating unquote with them.
Everybody says the final solution to this RACE problem is for EVERY white country and ONLY white countries to “assimilate,” i.e., intermarry, with all those non-whites.
What if I said there was this RACE problem and this RACE problem would be solved only if hundreds of millions of non-blacks were brought into EVERY black country and ONLY into black countries?
How long would it take anyone to realise I’m not talking about a RACE problem. I am talking about the final solution to the BLACK problem?
And how long would it take any sane black man to notice this and what kind of psycho black man wouldn’t object to this?
But if I tell that obvious truth about the ongoing program of genocide against my race, the white race, Liberals and respectable conservatives agree that I am a naziwhowantstokillsixmillionjews.
They say they are anti-racist.What they are is anti-white.
Anti-racist is a codeword for anti-white.