Immigration
service times
Chapel Worship - 8:30
Modern Worship - 9:30
Traditional Worship - 11:00
Chapel Worship - 8:30
Modern Worship - 9:30
Traditional Worship - 11:00
In the book of Leviticus God gave the following command to the people of Israel: "When immigrants live in your land with you, you must not cheat them. Any immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they are one of your citizens. You must love them as yourself, because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God." (Leviticus 19: 33-34 CEB).
Since the January inauguration, our country's new administration issued an unprecedented series of executive orders that impact the immigrant, refugee, and asylum-seeker communities. Like every public facing organization, Church of the Saviour is evaluating what actions we need to take to both comply with the law and protect the most vulnerable members of our community. To that end, a task force was formed consisting of Rev. Andy Call, Rev. Cindy Patterson, COTS' Director of Operations, Lu Little, and congregation members Bob Dunn and Steve Merriam via the church office (216-321-8880, office@cotsumc.org).
This task force will be responsible for setting procedures for interacting with government entities and providing "Know Your Rights" information for both immigrants and church members who work with the immigrant community. This section of the COTS website will be set up to provide information about the rapidly changing immigration situation. We will also work with other community groups who provide support to immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers. If you have any questions, suggestions, or would like to help, please contact one of the task force members. Please click here to read the United Methodist Church's official position on immigrants and migrants.
This is an article from the UM News discussing the United Methodist Church's decision to join a lawsuit to overturn the Department of Homeland Security's new policy allowing immigration raids of churches, schools and hospitals. The article discusses the impact of these raids on immigrant families and gives examples of recent raids on houses of worship.
"Know Your Rights" pamphlets discuss actions to take if a person encounters ICE agents at home, at work, or in public.
The LASSO Immigration Packet is a comprehensive guide for immigrants who may be facing detention and deportation. It includes information on developing an emergency plan, a list of rights and responsibilities an immigrant should know when stopped by government authorities, information about immigration detention, legal resources and other valuable information. The guide is in English.
Red Cards may be kept in a purse or wallet as a reference to immigrants’ rights if they are stopped by authorities. Click here for a printable template. The instructions are in English and Spanish. The templates are available in several different languages.
This website provides a running total of Trump administration executive orders pertaining to immigration. Most of the entries provide the actual orders, some provide media analysis. There are many government acronyms, not all of which are explained, and often quite a bit of government jargon, but the website does provide a useful way to track the high volume of executive actions that the administration is generating.
This is a statement from the United Methodist Board of Church and Society opposing the US policy of mass deportations. The article also provides a link to the Church and Society Resource Guide - “How To Support Migrants and Immigrants Globally,” and more information from the UMC Council of Bishops concerning migrants, immigrants and refugees in the United States.
A story from National Public Radio on the impact of the Trump administration's suspension of the CDP One app. The Biden administration established the app for migrants waiting in Mexico to use to schedule asylum interviews in the US.
An article on the impact on one Mexican border shelter suspension of the CDP One app.
Washington Post profile of a few asylum seekers deported in the first few days of the administration's immigration crackdown.
This is an article from the Cleveland Plain Dealer on the Immigration Court process.
The impact of the administration's funding suspension is having on local refugee resettlement agencies.
The US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants is one of the primary refugee resettlement organizations active in the Northeast Ohio area. This is their statement on the suspension of refugee resettlement in the United States.
This is a policy and advocacy report from the US Committee on Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) discussing the impact on the Trump administration's suspension of new refugee admissions. The report also contains several other articles of interest pertaining to the world refugee situation.
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society is a major refugee resettlement organization. COTS worked indirectly with HIAS through our partnership with US Together. This is their statement on Trump administration immigration policies.
