UCC at Common Ground on the Border

From Thursday, January 15^th to Saturday, January 17^th, UCC advocates gathered in Sahuarita, Arizona for a conference called Common Ground on the Border. The conference centers around justice for migrants journeying in the borderlands and is held at the Good Shepherd United Church of Christ Church.

This area is the most dangerous land crossing in the world. The harshness of the desert kills. The Green Valley-Sahuarita Samaritans, a group co-founded by a UCC pastor, have been providing water, food, and emergency aid to asylum-seekers crossing the Sonora Desert at the Arizona border since 2005. The Samaritans’ mission is “to save lives and relieve suffering in the Arizona borderlands,” pointing out that the U.S./Mexico border has been the site of profound threat to asylum-seekers’ lives. 

Bergert and Saunders visited La Casa de la Misericordia (The House of Mercy), a migrant shelter in Nogales, Mexico, just across the border, that receives support from UCC churches as well as Episcopal and Lutheran ministries. There, they heard from shelter founder Alma Angelica Macía Mejía, known as “Sister Lika,” about the services they provide to migrant single women and migrant families– services that Sister Lika began organizing after seeing migrants in the area seeking refuge and sleeping in a local cemetery. The shelter has a school for the children who reside there and provides healthcare (including mental health), meals, and small business opportunities. The families who stay at La Casa are fleeing from cartel violence, domestic and gender-based violence, and/or political or religious persecution. Sister Lika described the collective trust that the migrant residents build during their stay at the shelter, which allows them to work in community to run the shelter operations together. Unlike other shelters in the area, La Casa allows migrant residents to stay as long as they need. “The model that we saw at La Casa de la Misericordia is exemplary for anyone working to accompany migrants in this time, as they offer not only accompaniment but also community, autonomy, and a way for displaced people to construct what home feels like for them,” commented Bergert.

Attorney Alba Jaramillo, Co-Executive Director of National Justice for Our Neighbors, delivered remarks in her keynote focused on the far-reaching impact of violent immigration tactics, stating, “Immigration is the excuse to strip us of our rights” and pointing out that immigration advocates are at risk of domestic terrorism accusations by the federal government. While discussing further concerns about privately-owned detention centers, the detention of children, and growing restrictions for asylum-seekers, Jaramillo outlined ways that we can respond, including joining rapid response networks, attending rallies in support of immigrants, and challenging the widespread negative narratives about people who are immigrants.  

The Common Ground on the Border Conference is a continuation of the UCC’s long history of solidarity in the struggle for dignity and human rights for immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees regardless of their immigration status. As an immigrant-welcoming denomination, the United Church of Christ recognizes we have a moral responsibility to walk alongside immigrants and welcome them to be part of our church, no matter what their immigration status, and no matter where they are on life’s journey. We see the face of Jesus in the faces of refugees and immigrants, because Jesus himself was one. As Saunders describes, “Being at the border for the first time was both inspiring and sobering. From seeing the resilience of migrant children who shouldn’t have to be resilient to learning about the holy work UCC members are doing to give food and water to migrants in the desert, the firsthand experience was vital to continuing my work on immigration justice. It was beautiful to be together with a community of Christians who believe in the dignity and inherent worth of our immigrant siblings.” 

For more information about Common Ground on the Border, and to get information about next year’s Common Ground conference, visit COMMON GROUND ON THE BORDER | The Good Shepherd.