Donald Trump has used fear to implement draconian immigration crackdowns which have, in turn, terrorized undocumented residents and their families all over the country.
Trump’s narrative is that there is a vicious crime wave fueled by undocumented workers. There are no reliable statistics to support his claim, and in any case, if one’s only crime is existing without holding certain documents, surely there are ways of dealing with the issue that is better than sending them back to whatever horrors they fled.
Part of the crackdown is denying the possibility of sanctuary. People who once felt safe in houses of worship will no longer have that option if Trump gets his way. Schools and hospitals will also not be safe spaces for undocumented immigrants.
Lutheran pastor Rev. W.J. Mark Knutson in Portland said he plans to offer undocumented migrants sanctuary at his church anyway — as he has done before. “Theologically, we’ll stand our ground against the government — an unjust law is no law at all,” Knutson told The Associated Press. “These are sacred spaces.” Philadelphia’s Robin Hynicka, a Methodist pastor, said his church is committed to being a “justice-seeking, reconciling, sanctuary congregation.”
During the first Trump administration, that commitment included sheltering an immigrant from deportation while he went through a successful process to obtain a visa.
A priest in Queens, NY says many in his congregation are afraid to attend Mass now. Another priest says his parish’s parochial school has many children from undocumented families who are in tears daily worried that they will go home to find their parents gone. The priest said people come to church to pray for strength to cope with difficult times, and this added stress is putting them through hell.
Imam Omar Niass has opened his mosque to refugees, many of whom are from his homeland of Senegal. “I cannot leave anyone, Muslim or non-Muslim, to sleep on the street,” he said. The imam added that he’s not afraid of Trump’s cruel plans because if he goes against God’s will, Niass believes, God will take care of Trump.
Pastor Maria Elena Montalvo, a Lutheran minister in Bell, California, says her church, located in a Latino neighborhood, has been a sanctuary for immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers for 7 years. Trump’s policy has created a lot of anxiety in the community. Pastor Maria reminds herself daily that Jesus said to welcome the stranger and care for the marginalized.
Queer people know what it is to feel unsafe, unwelcome, and feared. Does that make the LGBTQ+ community more welcoming of asylum seekers? Are we concerned about LGBTQ People who flee their countries to save their lives? Does LGBTQ have any more empathy or compassion than the larger population? The Queer God Squad wants to know.
