Posted on 10/01/2007 6:37:47 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants
A California-based immigration reform organization is supporting the decision by the mayor of Simi Valley to bill a church almost $40,000 for harboring an illegal alien to cover the cost for police presence during a protest.
For more than a year Mexican national Elvira Arellano made national news as she was holed up inside a Chicago church in order to avoid deportation by immigration authorities. Arellano finally left the church, fled to California, and was deported back to Mexico. Now another illegal, identified only as "Lilliana," has been given sanctuary at United Church of Christ in Simi Valley, California.
In response, an immigration reform group, known as Save Our State. organized a three-day protest outside the church -- forcing the city to send police officers to keep the peace. But instead of billing the protestors, Simi Valley Mayor Paul Miller sent the nearly $40,000 bill to the church, calling the congregation irresponsible for harboring an illegal alien.
Save our State spokeswoman Chelene Nightingale says the mayor made the right call. "This pastor is the one who opted to have this criminal in her church, therefore I personally feel -- as do others -- that she should pay for harboring a criminal. She's aiding and abetting," says Nightingale.
It is unfortunate, says the group spokeswoman, that the American Civil Liberties Union has come to the defense of the church and its illegal alien visitor, prompting the mayor to hold off on the bill. "The ACLU can pose quite a bit of problems for a city," she says.
Nightingale says her organization intends to meet with the mayor and return to the church for another protest.
Can’t have it both ways - shouldn’t anyway.
What a church, promoting breaking of laws.
ping
A bit late to this but the difference is, the church is committing an illegal activity (harboring a criminal) while a church just having a funeral is not committing a crime.
BTW, my state Missouri, passed a law where you can’t protest at a funeral, an hour before or an hour after. Thanks to that “Baptist” church. And of course, the ACLU is fighting the law. What a horrid bunch of losers the ACLU and the WBC are. Both disgusting.
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