Unitarian Universalists of Sterling

An article by Rev. Anya Sammler-Michael, published in the Loudoun Easterner's "A Faithful View" section,  Thursday, October 18, 2007:

We live in a community struggling over the question of illegal immigration. Our press reports on rallies, the  closure of our local day worker site, and on the passionate dialogs in our local government and our communities. The struggle is ever-present. It comes at us when we expect it, and when we expect it least.

Many associations are being drawn - between illegal immigration and economic instability, between increasing immigrant populations and decreasing safety, between immigrants and crime, even between peace and war. And because associations like this are being drawn, I feel it is necessary to prepare a religious response to the question of illegal immigration. I say this blatantly for good reason. This is a highly charged political situation. But the political forum rarely encompasses ethical reflection. It rarely pauses long enough to consider what my faith community— Unitarian Universalists — refer to as the inherent worth and dignity of every being. 

When we begin making claims about human beings - about how their presence in our world affects our safety, our monetary stability and our way of life - we are calling into question their worth. Human rights are at stake. It is necessary for our religious and ethical organizations to enter the dialog and engage the issues.
 
“The New Colossus”, the poem by Emma Lazarus that lives high in Liberty’s torch, conveys the statue’s message: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” This is a well-known and a powerful line. It presents the United States as a welcome home for all who search for a better life.
 
Many immigrants come here, seeking such a welcome. Many travel here at the risk of injury and death after hearing the myth of American opportunity from individuals willing to exploit the dreams of the less fortunate.  There is a great and terrible profit made on the illegal immigrant trade. Once here, illegal immigrants are given mixed messages. Jobs are available. Money is paid. Homes are provided.
 
In fact our country has accomplished vast and furious growth with the help of immigrant populations, of which a vast portion is deemed illegal. When our country erupted with technological industry and our farms grew to industrial size, our secure borders grew increasingly permeable. Undocumented immigrants filled the holes in our workforce, provided the luxury services that busy families demanded, such as childcare, laundry and housecleaning. And they have done all of this for less pay and for longer hours than those of us with documentation wanted to endure.
 
Presently we question if this was or is the best means to grow our crops and tend our needs. This is a necessary consideration. But we cannot ignore that we as a nation have profited, and that we are not innocent. Our laws are decisive but our national and business policies have spoken a very different language.

The religious question remains: How are we called to treat the human beings whose efforts, legal or not, have sustained our country through drastic growth - the people who have lived among us, who are here with us now, who have become a part of our community, and who are woven into the fabric of our lives?  Deportations that split families are wrenching and often violent.  They encourage a culture of fear. Laws that restrict the civil liberties of any segment of our population split our nation and encourage a culture of xenophobia at best, racism, at worst. These are not viable solutions to our current conundrum. They do not take into account the inherent worth and dignity of all who are affected. They do not respect human rights.  They dishonor the American dream that at the very least imagines a fair and righteous nation concerned for the welfare, not of a precious few, but of all humanity - a nation willing to exercise its power toward that glorious end.
 
Let us not act rashly. Let us pause to consider the humans and their rights. Let us revisit the issues and engage in a debate that includes ethical and religious depth.
 
Rev. Anya Sammler is minister of Unitarian Universalists of Sterling, 22135 Davis Drive in Sterling Park. She may be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .