Church group works for change in immigration policy

Church group works for change in immigration policy
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer

LONG BRANCH — Members of a local church have formed the Lutheran Immigration Task Force to advocate for immigrants' rights and to help change the nation's immigration policies.

The four women who said they are members of Reformation Lutheran Church in West Long Branch attended the May meeting of the Long Branch Concordance on May 20.

Elaine Tupy, Inger LeManna, Doris Frambs and Norma Beaty distributed flyers that urged people to write letters to state Sens. Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez as well as to President Barack Obama about the treatment of immigrants.

The flyers state that immigration policies are punitive and destructive for families and are not in the national interest.

Also at the meeting, local resource organizations including: 180 Turning Lives Around, Monmouth Cares, In Cahoots, Childcare Resources, the Long Branch Public Library met to network and make brief presentations on programs they are offering including ESL classes, a community garden and a public concert.

Following the meeting, the group members said that it is their duty to bring to light some of the ways immigrants are being mistreated.

"It is our duty as Christians to help other people," Beaty said.

"These people have no voice," Tupy said. "They aren't allowed to have a voice, so we need to be their voice.

According to the members of the group, immigrants are being detained but aren't being given legal counsel in a timely manner.

"Some of them are being detained for minor things like traffic violations or when they enter the country for asylum," Tupy said.

"Everyone is supposed to have rights," she added. "As long as you're in America, you should have the same rights as everyone else."

The advocates said they are also offering advice to immigrants on how to handle certain situations.

"The Lutheran Immigration Task Force is trying to give a warning to those who may need it," Tupy said. "It is a stopgap measure until we can change some of the punitive policies. We need to give them protection."

One of the ways the church group hopes to get people interested in their initiative is through their partnership with the LBC, they said.

"It is one of the ways we hope to let people know what happens," Beaty said.

The church is also scheduled to hold a screening of the 2008 movie "The Visitor," which will also include a discussion on immigration issues, according to Beaty.

The group members also displayed a pamphlet advising immigrants about what to do in certain situations, such as when police officers enter their home, workplace or a public place, and a list of some common myths about immigrants, such as that they don't pay taxes.

The meeting, the last for the concordance until the fall, also focused on planning a schedule for meetings when they resume.

The meetings may include a workshop on dealing with the recession, food pantry information, combating gang violence, and finding financial aid for adults.

The Long Branch Concordance helps people in need find resources, fosters individual and family development, and creates partnerships for community well-being, according to the website.

The concordance meetings will break for the summer, but the nonprofit can be contacted at http://www.lbc4help.org or 732-571- 1670, ext. 303.

Contact Kenny Walter at

kwalter@gmnews.com.


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