Church X to Campsite E
11.5 miles
(Four water stops, three full stops)
The walk begins to wind down. By noon we see the outskirts of Tucson. In the afternoon, we set up camp for the last time.
Migrant Trail: Day 6 Itinerary
May 31, 2008
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Crime and Justice, Immigration, Latin America/Caribbean, Migrant Trail, U.S. Economic Justice | 
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Posted by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach
Capital Quote 5/30/08
May 30, 2008
“This is the worst kind of social and military intervention that turns the world against the United States.” – Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) commenting on the Merida Initiative, a military-based foreign aid package for Mexico and Central America.
Learn more about the Merida Initiative.
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Posted by Krista Zimmerman
Migrant Trail: Day 5 Itinerary
May 30, 2008
Campsite D to Church X
12.5 miles
(Four water stops, three full stops)
After yesterday, every walk from here on out will seem short! We still have a full morning’s walk, nevertheless, though our destination today is a church, not a campsite as it has been every other day so far.
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Posted by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach
MCC responds to ICE raid in Postville, Iowa
May 29, 2008Tina Schrag
May 23, 2008
NORTH NEWTON, Kan. – Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Central States is responding to a May 12 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid at Agriprocessors meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa.
In the raid, 389 workers without documentation of citizenship or other legal status were captured and detained. ICE had a caravan of buses ready to cart the people away to the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo, Iowa for processing. Many children were left without parents, businesses have shut down and it is unknown what the future holds for this small town in northeast Iowa. Two churches and the school in Postville have become safe sanctuaries for people who had a family member taken in the raid.
Saulo Padilla, MCC U.S. Director for the Office on Immigration, said, “The church has the call to welcome the stranger and proclaim that any division between immigrant and native is erased; there are no borders or boundaries for us as followers of Jesus. When institutions and agencies side with the powers of the world, the church is called to side with the oppressed, the poor, stranger and the marginalized. If we fail to do this, we fail to be the church.”
MCC Central States is providing $1,000 to help cover housing and food costs for families affected by the raid through Cedar Falls Mennonite Church in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Pastor Susan Janzen explained, “Our faith in Jesus Christ and commitment to following after him compels us to stand in solidarity with the people of Postville and the other immigrant populations in our community. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells us that on judgment day God will ask us how we treated and welcomed the strangers among us. How we respond to ‘the least of these,’ which in our context includes the immigrants detained in this raid and their families, is a sign of our faithfulness to God.”
Krista Zimmerman, the MCC Washington Office legislative associate for Domestic Affairs, adds, “Immigration raids aren’t the way to fix a broken immigration system. Congress needs to enact comprehensive immigration reform.” MCC Central States encourages individuals and congregations to write letters to their U.S. congressional representative and senators with a similar message.
Make a donation to support MCC’s work on Immigration. Click on “Donate Online” and in the Designation drop-down box click “Other”. Then, simply type in “Immigration Work” in the text box.
Write to your US Representative and Senators using this sample letter.
More resources for advocacy on immigration from the MCC US Washington Office Or visit the MCC US Office on Immigration
Tina Schrag is Communications Coordinator for Mennonite Central Committee Central States.
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Posted by Krista Zimmerman
Migrant Trail: Day 4 Itinerary
May 29, 2008
Campsite C to Campsite D
15.9 miles
(Five water stops, five full stops)
We walk almost 16 miles, the longest day on the Migrant Trail. Though the mid-afternoon sun beat down on us as we finish the day’s journey, we are consoled in the evening by our first (and only shower on the trail).
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Posted by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach
Migrant Trail: Day 3 Itinerary
May 28, 2008
Campsite B to Campsite C
10.8 miles
(Four water stops, three full stops)
We have a shorter walk today, and we set up camp around noon. Our feet are tired, and we haven’t showered since Sunday, but the donated food and the van carrying our belongings remind us of how well off we still are.
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Posted by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach
Capital Quote 5/27/08
May 27, 2008
“It isn’t just a matter of fair trade coffee at your local Starbucks.” – Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) commenting on the need for consumers to actively care about the labor conditions that produce their food.
For more information on fairness in U.S. fields, visit the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.
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Posted by Krista Zimmerman
