For the Love of God’s Children

Over the last 30 days, we have seen many photos of children fleeing from Afghanistan, some with family and some alone. One of the saddest sights was that of a US Marine grabbing an infant over a fence of barbed wire, from the hands of what seems to be his father, during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. It makes you wonder to what extreme you would go to save your own child. It brings to mind the reading from Mark 10:13-16. People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.                  

This US Marine was a blessing to that infant.

The world is filled with unsafe places for God’s children. Many of us as parents have never had to make a serious choice to save our children, but many of us have. Moses’ mother was willing to leave Moses floating in a basket in the river to save him from being killed. The CORB evacuated 2,664 British children from England, so that they would escape the imminent threat of German invasion and the risk of enemy bombing in World War II. The number of unaccompanied minors from Central America rose to more than 9,400 this past year. Dozens of unaccompanied Afghan children have been placed in US government custody after being evacuated from Afghanistan during the hurried US withdrawal these last few weeks.

In each of these circumstances, parents were willing to leave their children to the care of others to save them from death, death from an unjust inhuman ruler. Moses escaped death ordered by a pharaoh, the British children from the cruel bombing of Hitler, Central American children are running from the inhumane cruelty of the gangs and cartel and Afghanistan children are escaping the cruel injustice of the Taliban and ISIS. No one argues the injustice and cruelty of these groups and rulers but even having the awareness of the seriousness of this injustice, people still wonder how anyone can send a child away. 

Parents will go to great sacrifices to save their children even if it means they need to leave them. If a parent is able to do this, what should we be doing? How can we be like that Marine who stretched out his arms to save that infant? How can we be Christ like and stretch out our arms to receive and bless these children of God, for His kingdom belongs to them and we are unable to receive the blessing of that kingdom without them. So, we are not to hinder them but provide them with the blessings God has given us.

First and foremost, we need to provide for all that are unable to provide for themselves. We who are blessed by being able to provide for ourselves need to share those blessings with others who are unable to do so. In order to save the children from WW2, CORB organized distribution of children from England to families in Canada, New Zealand and Africa. We currently have organizations that will assist you in finding out how you can help, from providing donations, to volunteering or sponsoring children or families. You can go online to the Episcopal Migration Ministries; [email protected] and find all the ways you can help.
We also need to make sure the persecution and injustice that they encountered, that caused them to leave wherever they once called home, not to continue to happen to them wherever they landed. Moses was blessed by being raised by the daughter of the pharaoh so he was able to grow up and lead those who were being persecuted out of injustice. Leviticus 19:33-34 tells us, when an alien resides with you in your land, do not mistreat such a one. You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt. I, the LORD, am your God. Advocate for those who are unable to advocate for themselves. Once again information on ways you can advocate is available at the EMM website.

Finally, we need to keep not only all these children but all the families that are suffering from persecution and injustice in our prayers. From our own BCP: O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Deacon Cathy Kline serves as St Paul's Bakersfield and is a member of SJRAISE.

Donations needed for International Rescue Committee

 
How you can help
 
As we prepare to serve a larger number of refugees, asylees and other special immigrants in the Central Valley, there are many ways that you can provide support:
 
  • Donate Household Items: As new families and individuals arrive, they will need household furnishings such as furniture (particularly couches and dining sets that are in good condition), new bath and bedding items, and kitchen supplies. A list of our general donations needs is attached. Feel free to respond to this email or contact us by phone at 209-272-0751 if you wish to donate any of these items.
 
  • Provide Gift Cards: We have a huge need right now for gift cards from Target or Walmart. These donations are incredibly empowering because they give people the power to choose what clothing and household items they want to buy, a luxury that was not available to them while living in refugee camps. Gift cards from Target or Walmart can be sent to the following address:

International Rescue Committee
3446 N. Golden State Blvd., Ste. A
Turlock, CA 95382
Attn: Jonathan Partridge
You can also purchase Visa gift cards through Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/IZ54FT2R92TL/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_2?_encoding=UTF8&type=wishlist
 
  • Volunteer: As more people arrive, we will need volunteers to help with virtual English language classes, job placement, and donation transportation. We will also likely need help transporting individuals and families to appointments once it becomes safe to do so. In addition, we will be looking for small groups who are interested in furnishing homes. More information on volunteer and internship opportunities can be found at the following link: https://www.rescue.org/volunteer-opportunities/turlock-ca
 
 

What is Title 42 and why does it matter?

First Children, Now Families, Can Seek Asylum Without Being Expelled 

Title 42 of the United States Code is the rarely used clause of the 1944 Public Health Services Law that addresses public health, social welfare, and civil rights. Title 42 grants the government the ability to take emergency action to stop the “introduction of communicable diseases.” 
  
In March 2020, the former administration cited the need to limit the spread of the coronavirus as reason to invoke Title 42. There was no scientific data to support that rationale, and many public health experts opposed invoking Title 42. Even so, the former administration had the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention invoke Title 42. 

By invoking Title 42, the former administration had essentially cut off access to asylum for hundreds of thousands of migrants. The former administration used Title 42 to remove people who had recently been in a country where a communicable disease (coronavirus) was present (Mexico). Even though at the time there were more cases/100K people in the US than in Mexico. 

This order has been litigated since it was first invoked.  On Jan 20, 2021 Judge Emmet Sullivan of the US District Court for the District of Colombia, an appointee of President Clinton’s, blocked President Trump's policy of turning away migrant children at the border as a public health measure against COVID-19. Judge Sullivan said migrants seeking asylum are allowed to seek asylum in the US without getting expelled before their case is heard.

After the inauguration, the current administration continued to invoke the Title 42 rule. Over the past year the Southwest border has been overwhelmed by unauthorized crossings.  More than 200,000 people crossed in August 2021, bringing the total since the beginning of the current fiscal year on October 1, 2020, to more than 1.5 million. The numbers coming to the border have not been this high in more than 20 years. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (A.C.L.U.) more than 13,000 of those migrants were children traveling alone. Since Judge Sullivan’s initially ruling in January 2021, children have been allowed to seek asylum without being expelled.

In a major victory for the A.C.L.U., human rights organizations, immigrant advocates and asylum seekers, on Thursday, September 16, 2021, Judge Emmet Sullivan, also blocked the current administration from continuing to use Title 42 to expel migrant families caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Single adults can still be expelled. Judge Sullivan wrote that rather than allowing asylum seekers to legally seek asylum, immigrants were being expelled before they had the, "Opportunity to seek humanitarian benefits" they are entitled to under immigration law. 


Nov. 18, 2020, New York Times article, that was updated Jan. 20, 2021, regarding the ruling by Judge Emmet Sullivan of the US District Court for the District of Colombia. He blocked “President Trump’s policy of turning away migrant children at the border as public health risks, ruling that the expulsion of thousands of children without due process exceeded the authority that public health emergency decrees confer.”

March 29, 2021, Article describing Title 42.

September 06, 2021, article from Politico on the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as “Remain in Mexico”. The Biden Administration says it wants to resume the MPP, but provide better conditions for those asylum seekers waiting in Mexico for their cases to be processed.

September 16, 2021, Reuters article on Judge Emmet Sullivan’s ruling that blocked the Biden administration from continuing to use Title 42 to expel migrant families.

September 19, 2021, article from the New York Times about the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, advising the Democrats that their plan to give 8 million immigrants a path to citizenship could not be achieved through the reconciliation process. Democrats had been seeking to grant legal status to undocumented people brought to the United States as children, known as Dreamers; immigrants who were granted Temporary Protected Status for humanitarian reasons; close to one million farmworkers; and millions more whom are deemed “essential workers.” Previous bipartisan attempts to deal with immigration have failed due to lack of Republican support for any immigration reform. Immigration advocates have prepared several backup plans

September 15, 2021, New York Times article on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services requiring that all new immigrants to the United States be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. The requirement will begin Oct. 1, 2021. The Covid vaccine joins a list of others that applicants must have, including inoculations for mumps, measles, rubella, polio, hepatitis A and hepatitis B

New York Times article first published Sept. 16, 2021. Updated Sept. 20, 2021.  9,000 migrants, mostly from Haiti, were being held in a temporary staging area under the Del Rio International Bridge as agents worked as quickly as they could to process them. Del Rio is a town of 36,000 people. It is located on the the Rio Grande about 150 miles west of San Antonio. The number of people awaiting processing has grown to unimaginable numbers. The migrants under the bridge “have access to 22 portable toilets but no running water. They mostly feed themselves with food bought in Mexico, running back and forth across the Rio Grande.”


September 20, 2021, New York Times article about the thousands of Haitian migrants who are in the process to be deported from Del Rio, Texas, to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The US plans four flights a day. Haitian officials have urged the US to stop the flights because Haiti is in crisis as a result of an earthquake and the overturn of the government. Haiti officials say they cannot handle the mass return of homeless deportees.

Materials on Title 42 were contributed by Dr. Jim Mendez, a member of SJRAISE and St James Cathedral in Fresno
SJRAISE Annual Planning Retreat

On September 17 & 18, SJRAISE members met on ZOOM to celebrate the good work done by the Commission, as well as plan for the remainder of 2021 and look ahead to 2022.

Here's what you can expect to see coming from SJRAISE in the remaining months of 2021:

November 20, 2021 @ 10am on ZOOM: Webinar with Shawn Hawkey

December 16, 2021: Los Posadas hosted by St Paul's Bakersfield
December 20, 2021: Los Posadas hosted by St James Cathedral, Fresno
December 22, 2021: Los Posadas hosted by St John's Lodi

Here's what you can expect from SJRAISE in 2022:

--continued partnerships with Faith in the Valley, International Rescue Commission, Episcopal Migration Ministries & Office of Government Relationships

--Wrapped in Love quilts for those at the border

--Immigration Month concluding with World Refugee Day in June

--Supporting farm workers along with Padre Nelson

--Los Posadas around the diocese

...and so much more!
COVID-19 Resources for Immigrants
(in Spanish)

Guía para Inmigrantes de California + Listos California Esta guía proporciona consejos sobre los servicios, incluyendo los beneficios públicos, que están disponibles para los inmigrantes californianos, incluidos algunos que están disponibles independientemente de su estatus migratorio. Visite COVID19.ca.gov para obtener más información. 
Calls to Action, Training and Resources

Give DACA Students a Pathway to Citizenship
On July 16, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued a ruling stating that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was unlawful. The program, which the Obama administration created through executive action in 2012, provided certain undocumented individuals who arrived to the country as children with a renewable temporary status that protected them from deportation and allowed them to work in the United States. Although litigation contesting the Trump administration’s decision to terminate the program in September 2017 successfully kept the program alive, a May 2018 lawsuit filed by several attorneys general challenging the program’s legality resulted in the recent decision.

To learn more and contact your Senator, click here
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Wrapped in Love

If you are a quilter and would like to contribute to the Wrapped in Love project, or if you would like to provide financial assistance for mailing and supplies, please contact Pastor Julie at: [email protected].

To view the video of the blessing of the blankets and hear from Pastor Julie and quilter, Jean Wright, click here

Episcopal Church Statement on Afgan Evacuation

The Episcopal Church calls on the Biden administration and Congress to develop comprehensive plans to evacuate and provide green cards for our Afghan allies who have supported the U.S. armed forces after U.S. armed forces leave Afghanistan on September 11, 2021. Many of the individuals who have worked for the U.S. armed forces as interpreters, drivers, and other support roles face dire situations once the United States completes the pullout for the region, including potential violent reprisals targeting them and their family members.

The entire statement can be found here
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Check out Episcopal Migration Ministries new podcast:
Repairing the Breach: Building the Beloved Community Through Welcome
You can listen here!

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The Immigration Services Directory, which provides a list of nonprofit community organizations that offer a broad range of immigration-related services in the Central Valley can be found here

Prayers of the People for use in Ordinary Time
SJRAISE Petitions for Prayers of the People:
Pentecost 2021



 
17th Sunday after Pentecost (Sept. 19) thru 23rd Sunday after Pentecost (Oct. 31)
Lord God, hear the cry for justice in the lives of immigrants and refugees. Unstop our ears that we may listen to their needs, and soften our hearts to be to them palpable signs of your compassion and righteousness.
 
All Saints’ Day (Nov. 1)
Lord God, grant the world to know that in you there are no longer strangers nor aliens. In the power of your Sprit reveal all your people as members of your household, and may our lives show forth the welcome and inclusion which is your will.
 
25th Sunday after Pentecost (Nov. 14)
Lord God, may your kingdom come bringing with it the righteousness that is your promise. Uncover the deceptions that keep our sisters and brothers estranged and in fear. Be with those awaiting trials and all who are detained. Through our efforts for them may they know your comfort.
 
Last Sunday after Pentecost: Christ the King (Nov. 21)
Lord God, shed abroad among nations and leaders the abiding truth and love you have revealed in Jesus. Make known the sovereign justice that transcends borders and governments, and protect in your gentleness the victims of injustice and the casualties of our own complacency. 



written by Rev. Luis Rodriguez, St Paul's Bakersfield

Prayer in a time of pandemic​
Loving God, throughout the Scriptures you call us to “Fear not!”, but these are troubling times for the hardiest souls. Give us courage to face the challenges of this new threat to your human family. Give us prudence, to do the necessary things to protect ourselves and others. Give us the clarity of vision to learn from this disease the lesson we are too prone to forget, that we are all connected, regardless of race or nationality or political persuasion. We pray for those who are struggling with this disease, that their health may be restored. We pray for medical personnel and first responders caring for those in need, that they remain healthy and unflagging in their life-saving work. And we pray for all those economically impacted, that they may find the resources to maintain themselves and their families.  We ask all this, trusting in your abiding love, a love that even death cannot defeat. Amen.

Written by Deacon Tom Hampson, St John's Lodi
 


Special Prayers for Immigrants During COVID-19

Oh Lord; in this time of Covid-19 as we take shelter in our homes, we ask you to spread your love and healing over our brothers and sisters held in overcrowded detention centers and refugee camps. 
We ask Lord that you may soften the hearts of those in authority, that them may care for our sisters and brothers in this time of crises.

We ask this in Jesus’s name. Amen
SJRAISE YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAJZiw1OpUAMshz5jbdxa2A

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Rio Grande Borderland Ministries (RGBM)

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Faith in the Valley

Artisans Beyond Borders

Undocumented Migration Project
https://www.undocumentedmigrationproject.org

International Rescue Committee
https://www.rescue.org/

HOPE CAN'T BE QUARANTINED
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS) has developed a toolkit for supporting immigrants currently in detention.

Council on American-Islamic Relations