Stopping them is up to us – ‘Christians can’t live with their back turned to injustice’
Every year in January, new legislative bills submitted to the Virginia General Assembly carry shades of intolerance, hatred, and confrontation with the immigrant community.
They have precipitated trips to the state capital to get our demands heard in favor of the immigrant population and, with voices united, to say a strong “no” to proposed legislation that would harm our community.
During this year’s visit with our state representatives in Richmond, we could see the real pro-immigration leaders in the fight for social justice and the unity of races and cultures – Jeff Winder of The People United, Josh Diamond of the Wayside Center, Edgar Aranda of VACALAO, as well as those from Peace and Justice, the Catholic Church, and other churches.
What they were demonstrating was that “Christians cannot live with their back turned to injustice. That is why we are here raising our voices for those who don’t have a voice.”
Among the bills submitted is HB1775, brought by Del. C. Todd Gilbert (R-Page and Rappahannock).
This proposed law would require that anybody who registers a student in a public school must provide the legal status of the parents. And it requires that all public schools must make an annual report to the state secretary of education who must inform the governor and the General Assembly how many students have undocumented parents and what the financial cost is for these students.
HB1420, submitted by Delgate David Albo (R-Fairfax) is nothing more than the infamous federal law 287g, which is used by the police to detain anybody suspected of being undocumented and turn them over to ICE, so they can be deported.
HB1430, also submitted by Albo, is almost the same as 287g but is under the umbrella of the federal “Secure Communities” program. It will require every detained person to show their legal status, and if they are undocumented, they will be detained and processed.
As we can see, the future looks grim. But it’s up to us if we want to keep such measures from being passed.
If you want to find out how to participate in these activities, call Edgar Aranda (703/778-3450), or in Harrisonburg, get in touch with The People United or the Wayside Center.
