" One had better die fighting against injustice than to die like a dog or a rat in a trap."
 -- Ida B. Wells

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Thank you!  

 

-- By Linda Groetzinger, with quotations from related public materials

 

The Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America and its 22 member congregations from across the metropolitan area's Interfaith Immigrant Vigil at 4th Presbyterian Church on Tuesday evening, October 2, was a beautiful, emotional and inspirational event. Around 90 to 100 people came inside the courtyard; they and everyone who passed by on Michigan Avenue could take a minute to look at posters with Biblical quotations of support for immigrants, and at a dog cage filled with donated shoes. This visual expresses the theme, "Who will fill the shoes of those deported?"

 

The testimony of Ana, the mother of Yesica Jovel, for whose release we are working particularly hard, was very important to all of us. Chris Inserra and her talented musical group opened the ceremony with songs and provided singing breaks between the intensely moving speakers. Reverend Marilyn Pagan-Banks read poetry and led us in prayer; Rabbi Brant Rosen provided an analytical piece; Amy Shannon from Alianza Americas highlighted the threats of deportation to hundreds of thousands of individuals living under Temporary Protective Status. A DACA recipient spoke of the hope that she felt because of the support of such gatherings. Speakers reminded us of the hard work of so many organizations in the Chicago area to provide safety and legal services to immigrants who face separation, deportation, and sometimes death, at our borders.

 

At dusk and after dark, ART WORKS Projects projected a slide show onto an exterior church wall. Entitled Deported: An American Division, the images highlight the plight of Lourdes Salazar Bautista, who was deported from the United States last autumn. She had lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for 20 years and all three of her children were born in the US and thus are US citizens. As we all held our lit candles, for ten minutes the musicians spoke the names of representative immigrants from all over the world, and we responded, "Presente!" (We honor you!) As I got tired of standing and hearing these names, I thought of how tiring it would be to be in detention. To close the service, the eloquent pastor of LaSalle St. Church led a rousing prayer.

 

Claudia Lucero, Executive Director of the Chicago Religious Leadership Network, said, "It was a very inspiring and emotional event. I want to thank all of you because without your support and participation the event would not have been a success."

 

Claudia Lucero emphasized the importance of calling our Senators and Congresswoman Jan Shakowski, insisting that they intervene on behalf of 23-year-old Yesica Jovel, whose family now lives in Evanston. She is targeted by M-13, but is to be deported Friday, October 4, which puts her life in the very danger from which she fled.

 

It was a moving evening of hope as we continue to call and work for justice together.

 

About CRLN

The Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN) builds partnerships among social movements and organized communities within and between the US and Latin America. We are united by our liberating faiths and inspired by the power of people to organize and to find allies to work for sustainable economies, just relationships, and human dignity. (Second Unitarian Church is a member.)

 

-- by Linda Groetzinger

 

On September 22, 2018, the Department of Homeland Security released an Advance Copy of the Notice of Proposed Rules Change, to be published in the Federal Register within a few weeks. For details, read the proposal and links here at US Citizen and Immigration Services.

 

USCIS begins the announcement of pending changes by trying to make them seem insignificant: " Self-sufficiency has long been a basic principle of United States immigration law. Since the 1800s, Congress has put into statute that individuals are inadmissible to the US if they are unable to care for themselves without becoming a public charge and federal laws have stated that foreign nationals generally must be self-sufficient."

 

" Section 212(a)(4) of the INA [Immigration and Nationality Act]: Any alien who, in the opinion of the consular officer at the time of application for a visa, or in the opinion of the Attorney General at the time of application for admission or adjustment of status, is likely at any time to become a public charge is inadmissible." Public charge is defined as being dependent for one consecutive year on public cash assistance like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) , or for three years on public non-cash benefits, like food stamps, childcare, or institutionalization such as a nursing home.

 

The current statute applies to (a) a person who applies for an immigration visa from outside the US; (b) a person inside the US who applies for a change of status, such as for a green card. It does not currently apply (a) to naturalization (citizenship) proceedings or (b) to asylum or refugee status seekers.

 

The proposed new rules seek to "clarify" and to expand the categories to which the law applies, in several ways. It appears it could lead to deportations of people who are awaiting change of status rulings to approve green cards, and to bar many others. Immigration lawyers are cautioning their clients not to panic but to wait for details.

 

One change that stood out for me was the proposed new income definition: a person would be considered "likely to become a public charge" if they had received work permit and were employed but earning less than 250% of the federal poverty level. For one person, that threshold is $12,140 per year; for a family of four, it is $62,750 per year. By my calculation, a person working at the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, working a full 40-hour week, and paid for 52 weeks per year, could earn $15,080. A person earning 138% of the poverty level is eligible for assistance in health care, but if a person wishes to later seek a green card, receiving this assistance could become a bar to their green card application. (Many states have a higher minimum wage, but most low-wage workers do not work full time nor 52 weeks a year.) (For details on federal poverty guidelines see this article and chart.)

 

My reason for writing today is to ask that everyone to prepare to send a written comment during the 60-day comment period following the formal Federal Register announcement (in a few weeks).

Visit the table in the Palmer Room after the service to:

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