On the Willows There

by Joan Maruskin, Church World Service

By the waters of the Rio Grande
By the waters of the Rio Grande,
There we sat down and there
  We wept
  When we remembered Zion.

On the willows there
We hung up our guitars

For there the Border Patrol
Asked us for songs

And the vigilantes asked for laughter
Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

How could we sing the Lord’s song
In a foreign land

By the waters we weep and we remember
  We remember Mexico and El Salvador
  We remember Burma and Tibet
  We remember Colombia and Chile
  We remember Cuba and Haiti
  We remember Darfur, the Congo, and Romania

By the waters we remember

On the willows we hung up our guitars
  We hung up our hopes
  We hung up our homes, our land, our dreams
  We hung up our poverty, our hunger, and our thirst
  We hung up our friends, our traditions and our culture
  We hung up our family ties, our food, and our language

How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?

We sing only the song of the homeless, the unemployed
  The laments of hunger and thirst, of death and destruction
  The songs of the songless, the hungry, the thirsty
  The songs of the dying.

How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?

Letter from the UCC Southwest Conference in response to the new immigration law in Arizona

An Open Letter to President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary Janet Napolitano and Governor Jan Brewer,

On April 24, 2010, the Southwest Conference of the UCC gathered at our Annual Meeting in Sedona, AZ.   Our meeting was disrupted with the announcement that Gov. Jan Brewer had signed SB1070.  We immediately went into a time of prayer for the soul of Arizona and all people who reside here.  

As people of faith we affirm and live by the biblical imperative, “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. ³⁴The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”( Leviticus 19:33-34)

We are profoundly disturbed by the passage of the harshest anti-immigrant legislation in the country by the Arizona Legislature.  It is legislation such as this that codifies racial profiling and creates an atmosphere of suspicion, hatred, and scapegoating of immigrants and U.S citizens.

We celebrate the diversity of our nation and the contribution of immigrants and call for the end of the criminalization of individuals and the destabilization of our communities. 

We call for Comprehensive Immigration Reform that will provide a path for legalization for people who are contributing to our society, an adequate system for future legal economic immigration and family reunification, and policies that prevent deaths in the desert.  We find it morally reprehensible that 5,500 men, women and children have lost their lives in the last 16 years trying to provide a life of dignity for their families. Policies such as SB 1070 and 287 (G) diminish the ability of local law enforcement to keep our communities safe. 

We are dedicated to the following actions to demonstrate our solidarity and commitment to our immigrant brothers and sisters who are created equally in the image of God regardless of race or nationality. We are committed to:

·        Encouraging members to pledge non- compliance with the unjust and racist law SB 1070

·        Cancel  plans to hold 2011 annual meeting in Arizona

·        Relocate our next annual meeting to another southwestern state

·        Encourage our business and professional members to influence board decisions

·        Direct action of prayer, study, protests, and fasting

·        Mobilize our congregations to advocate for the Dream Act, a just and fair Comprehensive Immigration Reform and the abolishment of SB 1070 and 287 (G)

As people of faith and conscience rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ, we hold to our UCC Statement of Affirmation of faith, in declaring, “You call us into your church…to be your servants in the service of others, to proclaim the gospel to all the world and resist the powers of evil.”

In Solidarity and Service,

A Letter to a Young Man from Chiapas

by Elizabeth O'Brien (from the Humane Borders newsletter)

No more mangoes to pick
En la estancia de su abuelo.
No more money for food.
No way to take care of your family.
You don’t want them to starve.
So,

First gather your family
Your village.
Share your plan,
Ask their help,
Collect their money—
$2,000 U.S.
Te dicen adios y te dicen buena suerte,
Hijo.
Your first shedding.

Find a coyote
Not the one Jose Martín used--
Jose Martín está muerto
Find one who knows the way
Around the wall.

Never mind that you don’t know
About the three days travel
In the Arizona desert
After the 2000 miles in Mexico.

No food. No water.
Except occasional water stations
Set out by Yanquis.

Never mind that you will
Leave so much of yourself
In the desert, maybe
Even your body.

Pero tu esperanza está muy fuerte
Y tu vas.

2000 miles by train or bus
On foot, in cars.
Sleep, your face pressed against the window
Mexico whirring by
Desert to trees to mountains
To desert.

Join a group in a safe house
Not really safe.
The coyote demands more money
No hay más
So you smuggle marijuana
While he rapes a wife
Or a daughter
Or an abuela--
Your second shedding.

Finally at the border.
And through a break in the wall

Bienvenidos a Arizona!
No shade. Sharp rocks.
Stabbing thorns
No water in the arroyo,
Only a few smooth stones
To hint at summer floods.


Your prized jacket--
“Baille de salsa”
Escrito en la espalda--
You won at the dance hall
Beating Jose Martín and Pedro
With your lightening turns
And sassy hips,
Spinning Maria ‘til dawn,
Worn for 2,000 miles.

But the heat in the desert
Even at night
Turns your triumph
Into a burden—
Too heavy, too dark, too unnecessary
You lay it with care up a rise
Under a creosote bush.
Later you toss the matching pants,
Silver stripe down the leg
Another shedding,
Leaving more of yourself behind.

As you stumble in the arroyos
Sliding on jagged granite
Or porous basalt
You have to lighten your pack.
Now the prayer book
Tia Gracela gave you
For confirmation.
You hope someone finds it
Who can carry it,
Treasure it,
Wonder who you were, or are.

You drop water bottle after water bottle
Sucked dry.
Now one gallon left
For three days
Under the AZ sun and moon.
One bottle—black plastic
Bought at the border.
No glint of white or clear
To alert the binoculars
Searching for you from the choppers
That criss-cross the desert
Looking for any glint--
A gold cross
A silver bracelet
A brass buckle
A white water bottle.

You freeze when you hear them
“La Migra! La Migra”
No motion allowed.
Hiding ’til they pass.

The coyote yells, pushes, tugs
Ordering things to be left behind--
“Salven la agua! Salven la comida!”
Nada más!!

You see what others have left
Along the rocks and shrubs.
A torn blouse embroidered with
Red and yellow flowers.
A tortilla cloth
Colcha stitched in
Blues, greens and reds.
One leg of jeans—one side
Faded almost white
The other a defiant blue
Pressed to the ground.
One shoe—
“Por qué?” tu piensas.
A jeans’ pocket
Embroidered with pink flowers
Silver studs and gold threads,
Like the one you gave tu sobrina Esperanza
Para su quinceañera.

The most worrisome find--
A baby bottle with pedialite
A diaper bag, empty now.
No longer needed--
Or almost there?

Suddenly shouts.
A scuffle.
Silence as you
Huddle beneath
A boulder.
A navy-sleeved arm
Grabs you.
Screams las palabras en inglés
You don’t understand.

You are shoved hand-cuffed into a van
Lights flashing.
Again, your face pressed
Against the window as Arizona whirs by
Stopping only when you reach
Nogales
And the detention center.

The coyote nowhere to be seen.

At least se hablan español aquí.
A sandwich.
A coke.
Half bus fare home.

Home.


Es verdad.
(It’s true)
Tu sueño esta rompiendo
(Your dream is broken)
Pero tu tienes esperanza
(But you have hope)
Y tu comienzas a planear otra vez.
(And you begin to plan again)
Not having lost
All of yourself in the desert.

Illinois Maya Ministry Forum - "Immigration Stories"

Saturday, April 17, 

Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Rockford, Illinois, 

Registration:  $35.00

Presenter, Rev. David Vásquez, Campus Pastor, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa,

Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Rockford, IL

Rev. Vásquez is presently the campus pastor at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. During this, his sabbatical year, he has been focusing on migration narratives--in the Bible and in people’s lives today--exploring how the immigrant experience mighthelp us better understand our sacred texts while engaging our faith communities in the contemporary conversation about immigration reform. Pastor Vásquez was pivotal in providing support and advocacy for the immigrant community in Postville and Decorah, Iowa, after the largest (to that date) Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid in May 2008.

A play recounting the experience of the Guatemalan and Mexican workers of the May 12, 2008, raid in Postville, Iowa, will be presented  that was originally acted out by people who were detained awaiting deportation.  For more information and to see a brochure in pdf format, click here.

Send check to:  Rev. Mike Mulberry; P.O. Box 927; Byron, IL  61010

Postville Witnesses Soon To Be Deported

Illinois Maya Ministry wishes to express its grief and solidarity with those Postville witnesses that will soon be deported.  Immigrations and Customs Enforcement/Department of Homeland Security has disregarded the State of Iowa's wish to keep all the witnesses in Iowa, and has ordered their deportation on or before March 31, 2010.  With all that these people had suffered, the hope was that they might receive visas, dual citizenship or just more time to prepare for their departure.  Illinois Maya Ministry will certainly try to keep you aware of any future actions or advocacy that might be done on their behalf.

UCC Immigrant Rights Sunday

The first Sunday in May, May 2nd, has been designated Immigrant Rights Sunday within the UCC. Justice and Witness Ministries and Wider Church Ministries are urging congregations to lift up immigrants on this day: to learn about their concerns, honor their contributions to our country and communities, and listen to hear where God is leading us regarding issues of immigration.  For worship resources, click here.

Beyond the Border: Chicago 2010

Description: As a delegation solely in the interior of the United States, the trip forms part of our “Beyond the Border” series.  Among the goals of the series is to work with local partners and groups around the U.S. who are interested in learning, serving, and worshipping alongside immigrants in these communities.  Like traditional BorderLinks trips, the Chicago delegation will include educational visits with agencies working for immigration advocacy and policy reform, sharing and dialogue with immigrants living in Chicago, cultural activities and exchanges, and time for reflection, worship, and action planning.  Delegation leadership will be shared between BorderLinks staff and local partners based in Chicago.

The February delegation is open to individuals or small groups, but space is limited.  If your group of 13 people (high school age and up) would like to book the entire delegation, please contact the BorderLinks office as soon as possible.

Date: April 15-18, 2010.  The trip begins and ends in the late afternoon.
For more information, please contact the BorderLinks office in Tucson at 520-628-8263 and ask for the Education Department, or send us an e-mail.