Prayer sought for youngest immigrants

The Rev. Stan Bain, co-organizer of the Hawai‘i Coalition for Immigration Reform, is urging people of all faiths to take part in this weekend’s national interfaith Weekend of Compassion and Prayer for Unaccompanied Migrant Children, which lasts until sundown Sunday.

A former minister at Harris United Methodist Church, Bain reminds islanders that though the immigration crisis at the Mexican border might not seem to have a direct effect on Hawaii residents, immigration reform will affect the rights of newcomers to the state from Asia and the Pacific region.

"It is essential that Asians and Pacific Islanders add their voices and actions to those of Latinos," said Bain, whose group is part of the interfaith FACE (Faith Action for Community Equity) nonprofit organization.

Since October thousands of mostly unaccompanied children from Central American countries have sought refuge in the United States, many of them fleeing drug-trafficking violence in their home countries. President Barack Obama and Congress are now struggling with how to deal with the influx.

"Despite the horrific conditions that some of the children underwent in making the journey to the United States, the majority stated they would still make the trip, even with the knowledge of how difficult the journey was. As one child explained, ‘If you stay you will die, if you leave, you might … Either way, it’s better to try,’" Bain said, citing various news reports on the matter.

Organizing this weekend’s prayer and letter-writing campaign are Bishop Minerva Carcano of the Los Angeles region of the United Methodist Church and Bishop J. Jon Bruno, an Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles spokes­man.

"We know that many of you join us in being concerned about the urgent humanitarian need at our border and in our communities as thousands of refugee children flee violence and instability, seeking a safe haven here in the U.S.," Carcano and Bruno said in a July 11 press release.

They asked that all faith communities, from Christian and Jewish to Muslim congregations, join them in the letter-writing campaign "to inject a much-needed dose of compassion into the national conversation and to send a message to these children that they are not forgotten."

They added, "Writing letters to the migrant children can be a great activity for small groups, Sunday School classes, coffee hours, Vacation Bible Schools, and for individual parishioners to work on from their homes and with their families."

The website is www.they­are­chil­dren.com.

The release also invited faith groups to urge Congress to "to rise above politics and respond to this humanitarian crisis with compassion and respect for the rights of these vulnerable ones in our midst."

Carcano was part of a delegation that recently visited the Port Hueneme holding site for immigrants in Oxnard, Calif.

In a July 10 statement, she said: "These are children, and as people of faith and justice, we cannot just turn a blind eye or turn them away. These migrant children are God’s children.

"We in California, including our United Methodist Immigration Task Force have joined other faith and community leaders in asking President Obama, Congress and the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security to do the right thing by providing funding for the care and due process of these migrant children, including the full implementation of the Trafficking Victims Protection Authorization Act."

Carcano continued, "Border security, deportation and a rigid focus on the enforcement of broken immigration policies is not the answer. The answer is compassionate justice, addressing the root causes of this migration of even children, and the reformation of our broken immigration policies."

As part of its work to improve opportunities for immigrants in Hawaii, Bain said his coalition is helping applicants renew their Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status as the two-year expiration date looms in August.

DACA provides temporary relief from deportation and work authorization to some undocumented immigrants who meet certain eligibility requirements.

Two years ago, when the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors, or DREAM, Act failed to pass in Congress, the president by executive order put in place DACA to help immigrants who arrived illegally in the U.S. as children.

An informational workshop about immigration issues will be held at 10 a.m. July 26 in Room 13 of the Fili­pino Community Center in Wai­pahu. There is no cost and registration is not required. Immigration attorneys will be available for individual consultation after the workshop, if time permits.

Visit www.facebook.com/hiimmigrants, email face­rsvp@gmail.com or call Gabriela Andrade at 375-6726 for more information.