Possible deportation causes anxiety for church members, Oklahoma clergy say
Fear of being detained and deported while going to or from church has caused some immigrants to skip worship services altogether, some Oklahoma clergy say.
The Rev. Felix Cabrera, lead pastor of Iglesia Bautista Central, 14401 N May, said their church members' trepidation about continuing normal activities like attending church is among the concerns listed in the Hispanic Baptist Pastors Alliance's statement in response to President Donald Trump's immigration-related executive orders.
Cabrera and the other pastors involved with the national alliance said with increased deportation efforts being widely reported, they are seeing a decrease in attendance in their Sunday
services “because Hispanic brethren are afraid to be arrested on the way there, and/or, as we have seen happen already, receive a call that one of their family members has been arrested by Immigration & Customs Enforcement.”
The Rev. Don Wolf, pastor of St. Eugene Catholic Church, 2400 N Hefner Road, said he has heard that some of his members have stopped attending services due to deportation anxiety, while others are altering their routine in other ways to avoid detection.
Some, he said, have friends who will drive them to church so that they won’t run the risk of being stopped en route by any law enforcement official for any reason.
Immigrants fearful
Arlita Harris, volunteer Oklahoma church mobilizer for the national Evangelical Immigration Table, said she hesitates to name churches where immigrants are fearful of being deported lest ICE teams descend upon these places of worship.
She said her hesitancy stems from being told that ICE crews have been known to camp outside churches and schools waiting for undocumented immigrants.
“It’s in the category of rumors but I’ve heard it often enough that I think it’s happening,” Harris said.
Like Cabrera and Wolf, the Rev. Bill Pruett, pastor of St. James the Greater Catholic Church, 4201 S McKinley, has a large population of Hispanics in his congregation.
He said his church recently had an attorney come and speak at an information session designed to educate immigrants about their rights and recent developments in terms of immigration laws and deportation efforts. The session was wellattended — about 400 people showed up — and many asked questions, Pruett said.
“It was a very intense session but I think a session that was probably helpful for many people,” he said. “To realize that they are not alone was helpful and also to realize that there are rational things to do in the face of all this.”
Immigration reform
The clergy leaders and Harris said the underlying problem is the need for immigration reform that takes into account the human dignity of immigrants.
Cabrera is particularly passionate about the issue, because he said the current stepped-up deportation efforts have less to do with protecting people and more to do with demonizing immigrants.
He said it is hypocritical to use the cheap labor of undocumented immigrants to benefit capitalism while condemning illegal immigration. If America is going to implement the law in a particular sphere, why doesn’t it apply the law across the entire spectrum, he said.
“Let me ask the president, and the public in general, a question. Who built your houses? Who built your buildings? Who picked up the fruits and vegetables you eat? Two words, ‘illegal immigrants,’” Cabrera said.
“All this to say, what drives President Trump to implement such laws is not the protection of our nation (for the number of “illegal” criminals in this country is ridiculously small) but rather a fundamental prejudice against immigrants that still exists in our society,” he said.
Gospel proclamation
Cabrera said his church is doing its part in guiding members through this challenging time “by helping them understand their citizenship is in heaven.”
“I have taught our congregation that the reason why they came to this country, was not what they initially believed it was. It wasn’t because they were chasing the American dream but because God led them to Jesus. It was here where they came to know Christ and no matter where they go from this place, their new objective in life is the proclamation of the Gospel,” he said.
Pruett said as a veteran and a religious leader, his hope is that the country makes humane treatment of immigrants a priority, as leaders work to develop a more efficient immigration system.
“Certainly all of us in the ministry, I think, want to obey the law of our city, our state and our country. Most of us are patriotic. I myself served in the Army in the Vietnam War so I certainly believe in the American way of life,” Pruett said.
“But sometimes we get off on tangents that are not always the best. We forget in our zeal to follow the law, we’re talking about human beings and human beings always deserve to be treated as human beings.”