Immigration Raids Shock Communities

February 10, 2011

Although the Obama administration promised to focus immigration deportation efforts on criminals, recent deportation raids of undocumented immigrants were targeted mostly at immigrants with no criminal history, separating children from their families and leaving communities in a state of shock.

In counties across Michigan last month, agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made 77 arrests over 4 days.  The majority of those arrested had no criminal background, and all but two were Latino.  Click here for an article about the arrests.

Another recent raid in Ellensburg, Washington, targeted community members including a longtime church pastor, parents of young children, and a woman 7 months pregnant.  Charges against the 30 people held in the raid were limited to immigration violations.  An article on the Ellensburg raid can be found here.

Click here for an Interfaith Immigration Coalition letter sent to the Obama administration regarding noncriminal deportations and the effect they have on families and communities.

Leave a Comment » | Immigration, Sign-on Letters | Permalink
Posted by Janelle Tupper

MCC Action Alert: Ask your Senator to Demand International Financial Institutions Reform

November 17, 2010

Action: Urge your Senator to sign a bipartisan letter to President Obama.

Background: Low-income countries continue to pay high debt-servicing fees to the wealthiest countries through international financial institutions. For many of these countries, servicing such a debt means inability to provide social services for their own citizens. This problem has been exacerbated by the recent global financial crisis where we see debt burdens for low-income countries rising.

Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) are sending a letter to President Obama urging him to take serious steps in reforming the lending practices and policies of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and other multilateral development banks.

Faith Reflection:  “Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, saying, “When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the Sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat””[Amos 8:4-6].

Jesus condemns mistreatment of the poor and the needy. He teaches us to seek good and work for justice. Instead of helping them, the current lending practices of the international financial institutions are ruining the poor.

Action: Urge your Senator to sign on to this critical letter.

Leave a Comment » | Action Alerts, Global Economic Justice, Sign-on Letters | Permalink
Posted by Patricia Kisare

National Guard on the Border: Faith Groups Respond

June 4, 2010

Tim Hoover/MCC

On Wednesday, 20 faith groups sent a letter to President Obama, expressing their dismay with his recent decision to send 1,200 National Guard Troops to the U.S.-Mexico border:

As national faith-based organizations dedicated to serving and advocating on behalf of immigrants, we write today with deep disappointment and frustration over your recent decision to send National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. This is another step toward an enforcement-only strategy and away from comprehensive immigration reform. We urge the administration, rather than further militarizing the border, to work toward long-term solutions to reform our broken immigration system and to address the root causes of migration.

Read the full letter.

Leave a Comment » | Environment, Immigration, Sign-on Letters | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Tammy Alexander

Health Care Reform: The Summit

February 26, 2010

Faith Letter/Ad: Ahead of Thursday’s bipartisan summit, faith groups placed an ad in The Hill Newspaper calling on the President and Congress to have the courage, vision, leadership, and faith to move meaningful health care reform forward. Nearly 150 national and state/regional organizations signed the letter in the ad, along with 26 national faith leaders.

Bipartisan Summit: While there was certainly a fair bit of political theatre at times, with legislators on both sides reading talking points and spouting divisive rhetoric, there was also a good bit of constructive debate at yesterday’s bipartisan summit – particularly, around issues such as waste, fraud and abuse; minimum standards for insurance policies in the exchange; medical malpractice; and the need for better coordination of care, particularly for those with chronic illnesses. One issue where there was difficulty reaching agreement, was on the issue of coverage:

John Boehner, I looked at your bill; I think, as I said, there’s some overlap on some issues. But when it comes to the coverage issue, the Congressional Budget Office says yours would potentially increase coverage for 3 million people and the efforts of the House and the Senate would cover 30 million… We can have an honest disagreement as to whether we should try to give some help to those 27 million people who don’t have coverage… And it may be that the other side just feels as if, you know what, it’s just not worth us doing that. But one of the things I hope we don’t do is to pretend that somehow, for free, we’re going to be able to get those 30 million people covered. We’re not. If we think it’s important as a society to not leave people out, then we’re going to have to figure out how to pay for it. If we don’t, then we should acknowledge that we’re not going to do that.

— President Barack Obama

Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a Comment » | Abundant Life, Capital Quotes, Health Care, Legislative Updates, Sign-on Letters | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Tammy Alexander

MCC U.S. Washington Office Criticizes Federal Budget Freeze

February 1, 2010

Last week, President Obama announced a three year federal spending freeze for all “non-security discretionary” programs.  Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, expressed opposition to this decision.   The MCC Washington Office, along with other organizations, endorsed a letter directed to Rep. Pelosi.  Here is an excerpt:

We write to express our support and our appreciation for your opposition to a federal budget freeze that excludes even the consideration of defense spending. An initiative to rein in public expenditures without examining a bloated budget that takes up more than half of all federal discretionary spending is unwise and wrong.

We support cutting government spending that is wasteful, ineffective and duplicative wherever it may be found. However, a freeze in vital federal investment in our nation’s economy and people, particularly in the midst of a deep recession, is not in our national interest.

Budgets reflects values, priorities, and principles.   It’s time for our nation’s budget to prioritize human needs and conserving creation rather than protecting and expanding an already bloated defense budget.

1 Comment | Militarism, Sign-on Letters | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Mary Stata

Health Care Reform Update

January 29, 2010

1/29 Virtual Vigil – Call your members of Congress today!

On Monday, 56 national and state faith organizations, including the Mennonite Central Committee Washington Office, sent a letter to Congress, urging members to move forward with comprehensive health insurance reform.

As people of faith, we envision a society where every person is afforded health, wholeness and human dignity. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday we just commemorated, famously wrote in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” that “justice too long delayed is justice denied.” Less well known is his admonition that “of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”

Read the entire letter.

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address, renewing his call for Congress to pass comprehensive health care reform:

By the time I’m finished speaking tonight, more Americans will have lost their health insurance. Millions will lose it this year. Our deficit will grow. Premiums will go up. Patients will be denied the care they need. Small business owners will continue to drop coverage altogether. I will not walk away from these Americans, and neither should the people in this chamber.

Thus far, there have been no positive signs from either the House or the Senate that legislation will be moving soon. Leaders in both houses are pledging to act but giving few specifics (read more).

Join the push for real health care reform. Call your members of Congress today!

For additional resources on health care reform, visit the Abundant Life health care page.

Leave a Comment » | Abundant Life, Action Alerts, Capital Quotes, Health Care, Legislative Updates, News Stories, Sign-on Letters | Permalink
Posted by Tammy Alexander

Faith Community Responds to Sudan Policy Review

October 22, 2009
MCC/Melissa Engle

MCC/Melissa Engle

This past Monday, the Obama administration released a highly anticipated Sudan policy review.  The new policy strikes a balance between diplomatically engaging the Sudanese government, emphasizing implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, and rewards for progress.  The punishments and rewards are described in a classified document.

Mennonite Central Committee, along with 12 other faith based organizations, endorsed the following statement:

“As organizations of faith committed to a just and lasting peace in Sudan, we are encouraged by the sound plan and unity of purpose unveiled by the Obama administration. For years we have prayed, advocated and provided direct support for those suffering from violence and instability in Sudan and in refugee camps in Chad. This commitment has come from every corner of this nation and virtually every faith community as all of us share a concern for those living without basic necessities under a cloud of violence and instability. “The new policy is an important first step. All of us know that for the United States to play a constructive role in bringing peace to Sudan it will require a high-level of commitment and prioritization over the long-term. The faith community is prepared to stand behind those efforts that put peace for the people of Sudan at the forefront of this administration’s efforts. “A return to full-scale war and any extension of the untenable and unacceptable status quo are unacceptable to us as people of faith. We hope and pray that this will be an important moment in the quest for a peaceful Sudan.”

Click here to visit our Sudan advocacy website.

Leave a Comment » | Africa, Sign-on Letters | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Mary Stata

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