Faith Shapes Views at a Church of Immigrants

There's an interesting article by that title in the LA Times a week and a half ago by Stephanie Simon. It describes a US church on the Texas/Mexico border (a sort of Spanish-style mega-church) made up of immigrants and children of immigrants, focusing on their views of politics and the immigration debate.

The stakes are high, but many here do not dwell on how changes in immigration law could affect their families. They ask instead: What would please God? Most come to an answer that represents a middle ground: not unequivocal amnesty but not mass deportation of illegal immigrants, either; better policing of the border, but not a wall stretching hundreds of miles... Tougher measures to halt illegal immigrants at the border are viewed as an act of Christian kindness. Too many men and women die trying to sneak across. Once they're here, too many are taken advantage of by unscrupulous employers. Too many have nowhere to sleep. ...Eleidy Olivarez, 35, a native of Colombia...can't accept a proposal to build a wall along the border. "God doesn't want to divide people," she said. But she would like to fine every illegal immigrant in the U.S., and use the money to hire more border patrol officers, install more security cameras and take other high-tech measures to police the Rio Grande. The congregation balances the call for a border crackdown with appeals to put illegal immigrants in the U.S. on a path to citizenship, as long as they work hard, pay taxes, learn English and stay out of trouble. Sonia L. Garcia, 49, makes the case for amnesty through theology: God demands reverence for life and for family. That's why she opposes abortion. And that's why she disapproves of the proposal to deport immigrants who have long since settled in this country: It could wrench parents from children, husbands from wives. "To me, abortion and immigration are issues of equal importance. We're talking about protecting the family," Garcia said. She came here from Mexico a decade ago to be with her parents and to make sure her two children learned English. She's now a legal, permanent resident, with the goal of becoming a citizen - and, she said, God has given her compassion for others who would like a similar chance. "The blessings of God come to us when we look down and say, 'I need to help you,' not when we look away," Garcia said.