June 10, 2008

CHICAGO – Seven synod bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) visited prisons and detention centers where people seeking asylum, refuge or who have entered the United States without documentation are being held while the U.S. government decides whether or not to deport them.

"Immigrants being detained in public jails is a sign of a broken system, which is why we as a church must strengthen our voices to call on our country for a just immigration policy," said the Rev. John D. Schleicher, bishop, ELCA North/West Lower Michigan Synod, Lansing. Schleicher, along with the Rev. John H.K. Schreiber, bishop, ELCA Southeast Michigan Synod, Detroit, and other Lutherans visited the William Dickerson Detention Facility, Detroit, on May 21.

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) organized the visits. LIRS, based in Baltimore, is a cooperative ministry of the ELCA, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

"You're reminded on a tour like this how many immigrants are tucked into hundreds of odd corners of the vast prison system in the United States, small pockets of confused, isolated people, most of whom can't communicate with people who have the keys, and who have little idea of what is happening to them," said Annie P. Wilson, LIRS executive vice president.

Wilson said that, while talking to about 60 immigrant detainees at Dickerson, a great deal of suffering was expressed among the detainees. "Some detainees have lived and worked in the United States for 10 or more years. They were from Haiti, Lebanon, Senegal, Mexico and many other places. They saw the crosses and the collars and knew we were there to be helpful in some way. Some wanted advice about their situations, but others simply wanted a pastoral presence in their time of crisis," she said.

The Rev. H. Julian Gordy, bishop, ELCA Southeastern Synod, Atlanta, the Rev. Richard H. Graham, bishop, ELCA Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod, the Rev. H. Gerald Knoche, bishop, ELCA Delaware-Maryland Synod, Baltimore, and the Rev. James F. Mauney, bishop, ELCA Virginia Synod, Salem, and others visited the Pamunkey Regional Jail, Hanover, Va., on May 14. The facility holds up to 435 inmates, and, at times, 100 of the detainees are immigrants.

"Some of the folks there have not committed any sort of crime," said Gordy, "yet, they are in jail."

According to LIRS, Pamunkey is one of 300 facilities across the country that detains immigrants for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), most of whom are awaiting deportation proceedings. Nationwide more than 311,210 immigrants were detained since Sept. 30, 2007, at a cost to the federal government of $1.2 billion. ICE is facing lawsuits over conditions at some of its detention facilities, some of which are chronically overcrowded and lacking adequate medical care.

"LIRS remains deeply concerned that asylum seekers, torture victims and other vulnerable groups are being detained in jail- like facilities, too often commingled with criminal offenders," said Gregory Chen, LIRS director for legislative affairs.

ELCA state public policy directors visited a detention center April 28 in Tacoma, Wash. The Rev. William C. Boerger, bishop, ELCA Northwest Washington Synod, Seattle, attended this tour.

Information about Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service is at http://lirs.org/, on the Web.

ELCA News Service
Liz O'Neill serves as LIRS interim director for communication.