Parish Will Provide Sanctuary to Those Not Qualified for Amnesty

A small Roman Catholic parish in East Los Angeles expanded the definition of sanctuary on Sunday by committing itself to providing a haven not only for refugees fleeing the violence of Central America, but for Mexican immigrants expected not to qualify for amnesty under the new immigration reform law.

More than 1,000 men, women and children--most of them illegal immigrants who live at nearby federal housing projects--crowded into the parking lot of Dolores Mission Church for the declaration of sanctuary at an outdoor religious celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Indian Virgin who for several centuries has played a central role in Mexican religious and cultural life as the country’s patron saint.

“On this day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who chose a humble Indian (as her emissary), so we raise our voice on behalf of the poor and the oppressed,” said Father Gregory Boyle, pastor of the church.

The parish, located just east of the Los Angeles River, is the second in the Los Angeles Roman Catholic Archdiocese to declare itself a sanctuary. The historic Our Lady Queen of the Angels Church in downtown Los Angeles declared itself a haven for Central American refugees a year ago.

Although largely a symbolic gesture at this point, since the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service is not expected to begin making determinations on amnesty applications until next May, the declaration is, nevertheless, a “commitment to protect each other” from the law, Boyle said.

The parish will encourage eligible aliens to apply for benefits under the new law, which will provide legal status, or amnesty, to aliens who can prove they have lived continuously in the United States since 1982.

But Boyle maintains that a provision in the law requiring that aliens demonstrate they can support themselves without becoming a public charge may disqualify most of his parishioners because they live in federally subsidized housing.

“Up to now no one has said what will happen to those who almost certainly will not qualify,” he added. “We felt it was something that needed to be addressed.”

Although the INS has stated that it will not immediately deport those who are denied amnesty, some immigrants remain skeptical. INS spokesmen could not be reached Sunday.

“Undocumented workers like me came to this country full of hope, in search of a better life for us and our families. But once here, we found ourselves persecuted . . . our rights violated” by immigration authorities, Carmen Lima, a parish leader and immigrants’ rights advocate, told Sunday’s gathering.

Crowd Pleased

“But we will no longer be alone. We now have a haven at Dolores Mission Church,” she added, to the applause of the crowd.

Maria Gomez (not her real name) and several of her seven children were among those present. Gomez, 37, a single mother who has worked in garment shops since she arrived in the United States eight years ago, said she has paid more than $300 a month for a five-bedroom apartment at the nearby Aliso Village housing project for several years.

“That’s a lot of money,” she said. “Still, some people say we won’t qualify for amnesty because we’ve taken money from the government.

“I’m glad that our church is willing to help us,” she said, adding that she plans to fight--”for my children’s sake”--to stay here.

Parish leaders claim that the little church has already helped house more than a score of newly arrived Central American and Mexican families through its own family network. And it expects to help those who do not qualify for amnesty by providing clothing, food, financial assistance, and even housing in the church hall and at the homes of parishioners who are legal residents, Lima said.

Protests Planned

And, whenever a fellow parishioner is arrested by immigration authorities “in violation of their rights,” the church community will organize protests “to show our resistance,” Lima added.

“Our dream,” she said, is that other parishes in the archdiocese will follow suit. While the archdiocese has no set policy toward such declarations, it does not oppose them, spokesman Father Joseph Battaglia said.

“It is up to the (individual parish) pastor,” he said.

Under its sanctuary declaration, Dolores Mission parishioners plan to spread information on immigrants’ rights through study groups. They will also offer literacy classes and open a church community center to provide health, employment and legal services.