Churches in some U.S. cities plan to flaunt U.S. law, provide sanctuary for illegals

Churches in some U.S. cities are preparing to launch a “sanctuary” movement to hide illegal aliens and prevent their deportation. The churches will serve as their living quarters, and will hide them from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

The group lists Los Angeles, Chicago and New York as central cities. Religious leaders from a dozen faiths – including Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran and Presbyterian – have been meeting and planning for a few months. They say they have been inspired by Elvira Arellano, an illegal alien from Mexico who has been hidden at a Methodist church in Chicago since mid-August to avoid deportation.

The new sanctuary plans come as immigration reform legislation has been stalled since last summer, and also as hundreds of illegal immigrants have been detained and deported in immigration raids in recent months.

Kevin Appleby, director of migration and refugee policy for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the conference would not support harboring illegal immigrants because it would be breaking the law. But he said individual dioceses have much local autonomy. “Local bishops have authority over their diocese and can instruct parishes to comply with the law or not,” he said.