North Texas interfaith leaders rally for immigrants facing deportation without due process, they say
Dozens of North Texas interfaith leaders are speaking out to support immigrants who they say are being deported without due process.
"We as faith leaders are not going to be silent, we are going to speak up. We are not going to step back, we're going to step up, " said George Mason, president of Faith Commons, at a press conference on Monday.
Weekly vigils planned as immigrants face growing fear
Faith leaders said that immigrants in the community are scared, which is why they're taking action. Starting in a few weeks, faith leaders will soon begin holding weekly vigils outside of the Simmons ICE Processing Center in protest of the deportations. They also said they're considering opening church doors as a refuge, if needed.
"I unequivocally denounce indiscriminate deportation of our neighbors and the violations of their rights," said Vicky Glikin, senior cantor of Temple Emanu-El. "Refugees and asylum seekers deserve to live free from intimidation by ICE."
The Interfaith Clergy Emergency Response League and Faith Commons coalition said that migrants and refugees are "disappearing" from the community, many without due process, many also without criminal records.
"The levels of fear and anxiety today are about as high as I have experienced them," said Rev. Amy Spaur, lead pastor of La Fundución de Cristo. "People are scared. They are very scared."
Family cases spark outrage over deportation practices
As CBS News Texas reported Friday, one of those immigrants is Venezuelan asylum-seeker Neri Alvarado Borges. He was recently deported to an El Salvador mega-prison back in March, despite having no criminal record in the U.S. or Venezuela. His family said it was without proper due process.
"We got some connections with several of the local people that have been deported, in fact, one media guy we work with is meeting with some of the family members right now," said Pastor Eric Folkerth from Kessler Park United Methodist Church.
The Trump administration said many of the individuals being deported are violent criminals and gang members. Many immigrants are being deported under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, but faith leaders said the number of immigrants being deported who are not breaking the law is increasing.
"It is factually known now that some of the people who were rounded up and shifted off were in the system following the rules," Folkerth said. "They were following the rules, they still got taken away, without due process, that's wrong… that's got to be wrong."
Faith leaders said they're discussing a tentative plan for if ICE shows up to arrest folks at churches and religious gatherings. They're also urging the community to sign a letter they've created, asking the administration to adhere to the rule of law when it comes to immigrants.
