Who Is Knocking
At The Door?

This sermon was delivered on July 4, 2010 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation (Blacksburg, VA), by the Reverend Christine Brownlie.

Who Is Knocking At The Door?

Can you hear them? Those patient people from all over the world, knocking at the America’s door, hoping and praying to come to this land of promise? They wait, hoping and praying for a chance at a better life, despite the pain of leaving all that they know for an uncertain future. Some have the good fortune of meeting requirements to pass through the door. They are from the right country, they are educated with good job skills, or they have family in the United States to support them. They are the lucky ones who will be given the key and welcomed. And if they manage to achieve the “American Dream,” they may be held up as examples of why immigration makes our nation strong.

The story of immigration has been an important element in the history of our nation. Archeologists tell us that even the first people came to this land, came from somewhere else. As a child, I was taught that America has always been a shining light of hope and possibility for millions and millions of people who left the land of their birth and set off in search of wealth, religious freedom, adventure, and opportunity. This story included my own grandparents, Anna and Nicholas, who arrived in American in the early 1900s. I loved the words from the poem by Emma Lazzarus that is inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty: that grandest of greeters, who stands in New York harbor — our nation’s front door.

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

What a glorious welcome for those weary travelers who had spent weeks in miserable conditions at sea! As I child, I imagined the joy that my grandparents felt as they sailed past this grand lady in the harbor, filled with hope and determination to realize their dreams.

That’s the romantic story of immigration, a once-upon-a-time story that is the beginning of numerous movies and novels. It’s not all fiction; it’s just not the whole drama. For starters, this is a story that was true only for those people who came to this country of their own volition — let us not forget that many were dragged here in chains and then faced a life of bondage. We must not forget them.

But others had the welcome mat pulled out from under their feet. Despite their own struggle for religious freedom, our Pilgrim and Puritan forebears refused to tolerate dissenters within their own communities. Even George Washington was wary of immigrants and thought that most people should simply stay where they were. But today, the reality is that people in some parts of the world are so desperate and determined to leave the country of their birth that they are willing to do whatever it takes to come to the United States. If they can’t come in the fabled front door, they will come in using any way possible, even at the risk of their lives, crippling debt, or being arrested and deported back home.

In the past two decades, the states along the southern border of our country have faced a growing surge of people crossing that boarder and coming into our country illegally. Most of these people are from Mexico, or from Central and South America. Efforts by the Federal Government and the states have not been able to shut this surge down, and there is a growing concern in many communities that this problem must be addressed more effectively — at any cost.

The UUA has taken up the issue of immigration reforms as part of its “Standing on the Side of Love” initiative. Most recently the focus has been on a new a law in the state of Arizona that is intended to give authority to local law officers to have the authority to detain illegal immigrants simply because of their immigration status, a power that according to the Constitution is only granted to federal agents.

I’ll read a few sentences of this new law so that we’re all clear about the basis for concern that the UUA and many other organizations have about this statute. (Link to complete text.)

For any lawful contact made by a law Enforcement Official, or agency of this State, or a County, City, Town, of other political subdivision of this State, where reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an Alien who is unlawfully present in the United States, a reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person. The person’s immigration status shall be verified with the Federal Government pursuant to United States Code.

Even before this law was passed, commentators and rights organizations like the NAACP and the ACLU expressed concern it would encourage racial profiling. In response to this concern, the Arizona House of Representative quickly amended the bill to address that concern:

Police or other law enforcement "may not solely consider race, color or national origin in implementing the requirements of this subsection except to the extent permitted by the United States or Arizona Constitution.”

Will this addition prevent racial profiling? Apparently not, for there have already been complaints from some residents of Arizona who claim that they were “harassed” by the police simply because they “looked foreign.” In the face of this expanded power given to the local police, anyone who thinks that she or he may have his or her immigration statue questioned is advised to carry documentation with them at all times. If they don’t have their papers with them, then the authorities may detain them until proof of their status is verified. Visitor to the Arizona who “look foreign” also worry about confrontations with the police. Should they carry their birth certificate or passport with them, just in case?

A number of organizations and corporations have decided to cancel conventions and other large gatherings that were to be held in Arizona out of concern for their attendees and/or in opposition to the law. Local chapters of the ACLU have taken the unprecedented step of issuing travel warnings regarding the possibility of racial profiling for travelers going to Arizona. Our own 2012 General Assembly is scheduled for Phoenix, and the issue of what to do was a topic of serious discussion at this year’s GA. I’ll share the outcome of that discussion with you later on.

None of us would deny the reality that states that the states along the border with Mexico have been overwhelmed by the growing number of immigrants who illegally enter their communities. This relentless population growth puts tremendous pressure on a community’s resources and services. It also changes the culture of a community in ways that are uncomfortable and even offensive to the people who are long-term residents. While doing research for this sermon, I’ve come across any number of Web sites that post articles about the Arizona law and invite comments. Most of the posted comments are angry, hate-filled, and offensive to my sensibilities. But I also know that I’m in the minority on this issue. Most Americans agree with this law and at least 20 states — including Virginia — are considering the passage of similar laws.

There’s much that troubles me about all of this posturing and ugly rhetoric. To me, it smacks of racism. But there’s something more subtle doing on. Looking at immigration through this lens of us and them offers a cover story that allows Americans to see our country as the “victim” and the people who come from Mexico and South America as the “problem.”

The truth is that American policies and our way of life have a lot to do with this crisis, and the sooner we face that reality, the better for everyone. If we can come to grips with America’s role in the economic and social crises that are driving people to leave Mexico, then maybe we can begin to explore real answers.

For starters, let’s take a look at one of Governor Jan Brewer’s latest comments about the people coming across the boarder into her state.

"Well, we all know that the majority of the people that are coming to Arizona and trespassing are now becoming drug mules," "They're coming across our borders in huge numbers. The drug cartels have taken control of the immigration.

"So they are criminals. They're breaking the law when they are trespassing and they're criminals when they pack the marijuana and the drugs on their backs."

Both Senator John Mc Cain (who actually supports 1070) and T.J. Bonner of the National Boarder Control Council dispute this claim. In an interview with CNN, Bonner said that while some of the people who are apprehended by the Boarder Control do have drugs on them, they generally have very small amounts while those who are transporting drugs for sale carry much larger amounts. As proof of his claim, Bonner pointed to the low number of arrests for smuggling.

But even if Brewer’s claims were accurate, I would have to ask about the customers buying these smuggled drugs? And I assume that the part of this answer would be the people of Arizona and other US citizens. So, perhaps one solution to the problem of illegal immigrants would be to enforce the drug laws at all levels of government and to consider reforms.

Gov. Brewer is worried about crime, and we often hear this concern brought up as another reason to patrol our boarder with Mexico more effectively. There is good reason to be concerned — not about crimes against Arizona citizens, however, but crimes against the Mexican and South Americans who falls into the hands of unscrupulous “coyotes.” There are some who maintain that the biggest commodity that is smuggled into the US from Mexico is human beings. As the boarder becomes more militarized and difficult to cross, more people rely on coyotes to get them through the desert and into the US. Sometimes these “guides” traffic in human labor and the sex trade. It’s not uncommon for men and women to discover that their dangerous journey through the desert has a final destination of an orange grove or a tomato field in Florida, or a house of prostitution, where they are held against their will, forced to use their wages to pay for miserable housing and inadequate food.

Do you, like me, ever wonder about the inexpensive fruits and vegetables available at our local supermarkets and do you give any thought to the human beings who were involved in getting this food to our tables? Maybe we need to ask some hard questions and dig deep for the answers. As for the claim that immigrants steal jobs, the United Farm Workers of America recently made an offer to give jobs to Americans who wanted to work in agriculture. They even offered to train unskilled workers. The last time I checked, no one had taken them up on this offer, but that may have changed. (Link)

The Governor might also want to question her own claims about the problem of the growing crime rate crime in Arizona. Data compiled by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) show that the violent crime rates in Arizona for 2006–2008 are the lowest they have been since 1983. In 1998, the rate of violent crime was 577.9 per 100,000. According to the Department of Homeland Security, by 2008, the crime rate had dropped to 477 per 100,000 — despite the fact that Arizona's illegal immigrant population had increased by 70% during this time period. There is a rise in kidnappings, but these usually involve people who are connected with drug cartels. (Link) By no means does this lessen the concern, but US citizens are seldom involved in these crimes.

This is not to gloss over the tragic murder of an Arizona rancher who was murdered defending his property, or other acts of violence. The point I want to make here is that we need to fact-check the data that any of our government officials offer us, rather than simply assuming that what they tell us is true. Then we would be in a position to challenge statements that are patently untrue

There’s yet another way that America has been a major player in the current immigration crisis with Mexico. Do you remember NAFTA? that is the North American Free Trade Agreement that was put into place during the Clinton administration. From what I was able to gather, many economists and analysts agree that this agreement forced major changes on Mexico, and that many of these changes did not go well for those at the bottom rungs of the economic ladder. NAFTA promised better wages for Mexican factory workers. In the first years of the agreement, these workers did see an increase of about 1.8%. But when the multi-national companies pulled their factories out of Mexico and moved to the even cheaper labor markets of Asia, there was a sharp rise in unemployment.

Agricultural workers were also affected. NAFTA allowed US farmers to export cheap corn into Mexico, which left many Mexican farmers out of the local market. But there’s more! Not only did Mexican farmers lose their market, many of them lost land due to a clause in the NAFTA that required Mexico to change its laws that allowed for the existence of ejidos, large areas of land that were used communally for generations. The moneyed classes and corporations can now buy up land long owned by the peasant families whose rights to the land were protected.¹ What do farmers do when their land is gone? They look for work wherever they can. Wouldn’t you do the same for your children, your family?

We UUs like to say that we’re all connected to one another, that whatever harms one of us, harms us all. We also celebrate our claim of the worth and dignity of every person — yes, the immigrant and yes, the lawmaker as well. I’d like to encourage us to carry that premise into our discussion of immigration reform and the proposed copy-cat laws that are being touted as “A wonderful first step toward solving the problem” by some supporters of the Arizona law.

You might be wondering how we here today can respond to this very complex and urgent issue. I’m very pleased to tell you that the delegates at this past General Assembly voted to make immigration reform our next Study Action issue. As I said earlier, other states are looking at similar laws. Within a few weeks, we will receive materials from the UUA to help guide our discussions.

I would encourage us to be proactive and to urge our elected officials at both the National and the State level take on this very difficult issue. Immigration reform must be a priority. We must also educate ourselves about the needs and problems of immigrants within our community and then seek solutions together with the local immigrant community. This will take time, energy, and courage — scarce resources these days, I know, but we can’t look away. For as James Luther Adams, one of our most influential theologians said, "The meaning of life is found only by those who enter into the struggle for justice in history." The struggle is before us. What will History remember of our response?

Now I’ll share with you the unexpected solution that our delegates came up regarding the issue changing the location for General Assembly in 2012. While there was a strong push from some of the clergy and others to boycott Arizona, we had also been asked to come to Phoenix by local groups that represented the Hispanic Latino Latina community. I was not able to attend the fifth plenary session, but I did watch it on video. I already knew what the outcome of this discussion was, but I wanted to experience the process by which a middle way was created.

After discussion that was sometimes difficult, the delegates decided to hold the 2012 General Assembly in Arizona but to make this a very different GA experience. We will do as little business as we can, and spend the majority of our time engaged in social justice work. I knew that this option was being discussed, but I didn’t expect that it would become the solutions to the conflict. I should have had more faith in my fellow UUs.

What I learned is that people of good will can do more than they imagine if we are willing to discuss our differences with good will, listen to all viewpoints, and be willing to find common ground. While we don’t know what the situation regarding immigration will be in two years, I’m proud that we are taking a bold and risky step that is in keeping with our values. I hope that this example will inspire us to seek bold and unexpected solutions as we study and discuss the impact that immigration is having on our community, and how we too might become part of the solution.

May it be so!