Pastor denies blame in protests

The pastor of a Simi Valley church that is providing sanctuary to an illegal immigrant accused city officials Thursday of unfairly blaming the church for the actions of anti-immigration protesters.

The Rev. June Goudey, leader of the 80-member United Church of Christ in Simi Valley, said the city continues to pressure the church to repay nearly $40,000 spent for law enforcement costs related to a Sept. 16 protest. The church on Royal Avenue has sheltered a 29-year-old Mexican citizen named Liliana who is in the United States illegally.

“We agree with city officials that Liliana’s predicament is ‘a debate borne of a broken system and a lack of expeditious due process and enforcement,’ ” Goudey said in a written statement.

Mayor Paul Miller said Simi Valley is not taking a stand in the national immigration debate but believes that the city shouldn’t have to incur higher police expense because the church joined the sanctuary movement.

“They are not legally obligated to pay, but because of their decision . . . to harbor an illegal alien -- whether they make it public or not -- they’re still breaking the law,” Miller said Thursday in an interview. “They chose to make this public and by doing so, they attracted opposing groups that in the past have become violent.”

On Wednesday, Miller released a copy of a letter sent to Michael Chertoff, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, seeking Chertoff’s personal intervention to resolve the issue. Miller’s letter states that Liliana refuses to leave the church parsonage where she has lived for the last month and that church officials affirm that they will not ask her to leave.

“It appears the only way to feasibly resolve this matter expeditiously is for the Department of Homeland Security to take action,” he wrote. “Be responsive to the local community, to law enforcement concerns and to public safety issues by acting immediately to defuse this situation.”

To date, Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, its investigation and enforcement arm, have declined to enter the church to arrest and deport Liliana.

The staff of Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley), a longtime opponent of illegal immigration, helped Miller secure a meeting this past Monday with a Homeland Security official to go over details of the controversy.

Peter A. Schey, an attorney representing United Church of Christ and the sanctuary movement in California, said he welcomes the city’s effort to spur movement in Liliana’s legal appeal of her immigration status. Liliana’s husband is a naturalized U.S. citizen, but her application to become a legal permanent resident has been denied.

Schey, the executive director of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law Foundation, said he considered it “pretty outrageous” that city officials were continuing to blame the church for weekly picketing at its property and for a planned Oct. 14 rally.

“The church is in no way, shape or form having any impact on public safety. Liliana is in a room reading and praying all the time; she certainly poses no public safety threat. It’s bad management and disappointing for the city, in effect, to blame the congregation and Liliana,” Schey said. “The only reason police presence may have been required is because of the disorderly nature of many racist and ‘white power’ types -- that’s where blame needs to be laid.”

Gladys Limón of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, described Simi Valley’s appeal to Homeland Security as misguided. “The Department of Homeland Security should look into Liliana’s case and provide her with the due process that’s been denied to her and resolve the case in her favor,” Limón said.

greg.griggs@latimes.com