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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 2017)
January 11, 2017 M artin L uther K ing J r . Page 17 2017 special edition A Refuge for Immigrants in Uncertain Times c onTinued froM P age 4 takes to provide safe keeping for immigrants who face deportation by ICE. “It’s a big commitment for the person doing it,” he told Portland Observer. “The courage is not the congregation; the courage is the person who goes into the sanctu- ary. You’ve got to be public about it, you’re not hiding somebody. They are coming to live here, while you work things out.” In the early 1980’s a group led by Jim Corbett, a Quaker, formed a series of sanctuary churches in Texas and the Southwest to help immigrants fleeing violent coun- tries and who were at risk of de- portation by the United States back to uncertain futures. The network of churches was based upon a 19th century system called the Underground Railroad which gave safety to escaped slaves from Southern plantations as they made their way to the free states in the North. Jim Corbett and the others who launched the Sanctuary Movement to help Cen- tral and South American refugees were brought to trial but exonerat- ed of committing any crime. By the early 1990’s the Sanc- tuary Movement had died out. In 1996, shortly after Pastor Knutson arrived at Augustana Lutheran, he declared the church a sanctuary to provide a safe place for undocu- mented women in abusive house- holds. By doing so, Augustana became one of the first churches to create a new Sanctuary Move- ment. Since that time, it’s esti- mated that churches have helped at least 15 undocumented persons across the country by giving them sanctuary. Pastor Knutson’s wife is Af- rican American and he knows Portland’s black community well. His work has been to build a multi-national, multi-generational congregation. The people who fill Augustana’s pews each weekend reflect his dedication. There’s as many 65 year olds, as millennial; a cross section of every shade of color; LGBTQ members join in prayer; a group of Native Ameri- cans practice their spiritual tradi- tions in a neighboring room. The mixed-use church is also home to social justice organiza- tions, The Community Alliance of Tenants, Wells Art Institute, Familias en Accion, the Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice and more. Pastor Knutson has some ad- vice for other places of worship who are considering becoming sanctuaries for undocumented im- migrants, “You are not by yourself. You are part of this bigger move- ment of people of faith, Christian, Jewish and Muslim who want to Pastor Mark Knutson of northeast Portland’s Augustana Lutheran Church leads a protest in support of Francisco Aguirre, a Portland resident and immigrant trying to stay in the United States with his wife and two small children. for them. “That’s the number one thing right now in this society. Reach out. Given the direction we could go, not just Latino neighbors, but also Muslim neighbors. Immi- grant neighbors from other places may feel under siege. That could be the blessing in this, a very scary time, if people start reaching out to each other, our communities be- come stronger, and that’s big. That could be what we should be doing anyway. “ Right now ICE will not move into churches or hospitals, but Pastor Knutson believes that could change under Trump’s presiden- cy. He observes that schools and universities haven’t had hands-on experience being sanctuaries, yet. He says they still have to figure out how that will work for them. Pastor Knutson believes the local and state governments must help reinforce the sanctuary val- ues, “We need to keep having that strong conversation around race, culture, gender, inclusiveness, and equity,” he said. “If you look at the people who are being deport- ed they’re from Central and South America, Syria and Haiti. These are issues of race. This is an is- sue where we, as Oregonians and Portlanders, can say, we are not going backward.” keep families intact on the path to World Services to promote and who want to help is to support citizenship. I encourage churches provide information about sanctu- sanctuary churches and to get to just to do it. The key is to cultivate ary churches. know your immigrant neighbors lots of relationships in the com- His advice to Portland residents and let them know you are there munity. That’s ongoing for any justice work, right? You cultivate as a congregation lots of relation- ships. Even if you’re not ready, the resources will follow.” A host of churches, schools and universities in Portland have pledged to be a sanctuary for immigrants since the election of Donald Trump as president who ran a campaign against undocu- mented immigrants from Mexico and Muslim refugees for war torn countries in Africa and the Middle East. Under the law, there is a tra- dition in Judaism, Christianity and Common Law of respecting sanctuary and the right of habeas corpus. But, tradition is not a le- gal precedent or a binding legal agreement. In the broadest terms, declaring sanctuary means that local law enforcement, jails and politicians will not cooperate or give resources in helping federal authorities arrest and deport im- migrants. “The bigger piece to sanctu- ary is that God created the world and intended it to be a place safe for human beings, Knudson said. “ We don’t live the world that 3311 NE MLK Jr. Blvd, Portland OR 97212 way, so that’s why we have to cre- 503-206-3911 • Mon-Sat 9am-7pm • Closed Sunday ate sanctuaries in the mean time. Until the world is the sanctuary 5408 NE M L King Blvd, Portland, OR 97211 God intended, we have to do it in smaller spaces.” 503- 335-0271 • Mon-Sat 9am-7pm • Sunday Open 11am-5pm Pastor Knutson works with churches all over Oregon and the national organization Church Saluting Martin Luther King Jr. TWO LOCATIONS Over 5,000 Hair Care & Nail Care Items
