July 20th-30th, 2007

Tuesday, July 24th- The Sister Parish Delegation Meets with ISAIAH

Front row Louise, Alba, Juan Carlos, Alejandro Back row Padre Juan Rene, Sarah, Leslie, Mindy, Ross

The Guatemalan delegation met this Tuesday in the Upper Room of the Parish Center with Sarah Gleason, ISAIAH representative, to discuss the dynamics of ISAIAH.

ISAIAH is a group of about 90 churches in the Twin Cities area and St Cloud. They are Catholic, Unitarian/Universalist, Methodist, Lutheran and even some non-faith based groups. Their belief is that there is enough for everyone. God has given us all what we need. It just needs to be distributed more effectively and sufficiently to all.

They work in areas of social justice such as transportation, education, immigrant rights, and domestic violence to name a few. The organization is growing in number of churches and leaders all the time. It is the volunteers that do most of the leadership roles than the staff at the sites.

In the discussion that followed the introduction to ISAIAH, the topic of the immigrant rights/issues came up. Padre Juan Rene wanted to know what the organization was doing about deportation.

Sarah stated that although ISAIAH is a MN based group they work with other organizations at the federal and world levels. They are working for systematic change. ISAIAH and their sister organizations can not prevent the raids at this time. The ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) is federally and administratively in effect. They have not been able to find a way to systemically deal with the raids. Sarah also mentioned that there is a lot of anti-immigration sentiment in the U.S. at this time. What people need to do is worship together, share, and get a different point of view. People have to be treated with dignity. The immigrants have a reason for coming just like we have a reason for being here.

Padre Juan Rene also asked about the domestic violence issue regarding immigrants and also criminals migrating to the U.S., how does the agency work with those issues?

Sarah explained that there are many agencies that work with families like social workers. ISAIAH is more about systematic change. They were able to get funding for adults and children who have been abused or children who have witnessed abuse. They worked to get policy change and the monies for funding.

Alba wanted to know if illegal immigrants seek out help when they are in an abusive situation or is it too risky with the deportation laws.

Coming forward in the first place is frightening enough. But, then add on the fear of deportation … not knowing if this agency is or isn’t going to deport me. It is hard to say if they will or will not. The group also discussed how people’s cultures are different. You do not know if that will hinder them from getting the help they need too.

With some time left over the discussion led to the elections in Guatemala.

Alba was first to respond. There are too many candidates. She does not know who she is voting for right now except no military candidates.

There are seventeen different political parties right now in Guatemala, all of whom have a candidate running for president. Some people running are in the race so if they win they can give themselves immunity for all the genocides and other crimes they have committed. Some start advertising before they are legally allowed to do so. But they have the money to pay the fines and keep on doing it.

The discussion then moved on to drug cartels. Apparently, the cartels had previously infiltrated just the military and now they are nestled up to the government officials. On the eastside, Guatemalans do not run for political offices because the mafia will kill them.

And just like here in Minneapolis, Tierra Nueva Dos has its drug dealers and gangs. Juan Carlos said that a lot of children are into drugs. They get into gangs there for the same reasons as in the U.S. They are looking for a family. Their biological family does not want them or is bad to them. The same mishaps that happen in Minneapolis, happen in Guatemala. In one instance rival drug dealers went to kill another gang. They killed all the people in the house. It was the wrong house.

Then the delegates went for a tour of Grace House II and back to the Upper Room for pizza.

and

Theresa Dolata has been a member of SJA since 2002. She is a writer, a stand-up comic, photographer and massage therapist. Theresa currently resides in South Minneapolis and is a member of Vail Place, a support program for people with mental illness, and a member of St. Joan's Mental Illness Ministry.