[This is an occasional series of immigration stories from Church of the Brethren members and attendees. Look for more stories to be featured in upcoming issues of Newsline. To submit an immigration story for this series, email cobnews@brethren.org.]
Javier* couldn’t find work because his work card had expired, and spent a month sleeping in the rain and the cold, without a blanket, without food, and without a home in Delray Beach, Fla.
The people in the area where Javier was sleeping called the police because they thought he was mentally ill. When the police came to speak to him, they saw that he wasn’t mentally ill, but that he was in financial need.
The police referred him to a Church of the Brethren pastor who took him in. The church provided him with clothes and food, and soon the Deportation Defense Response (DDR) Team referred him to lawyers for the application process and financial support for housing.
*Names have been changed or only first names given in order to protect the identities of people vulnerable to immigration enforcement.
#MissionAndMinistryBoard #StrategicPlan #RacialJustice #LoveOurNeighbors #Discipleship #NewTestamentGiving
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Find more Church of the Brethren news:
- On the street: An immigration story
- En la calle: Una historia de inmigración
- Nan lari a: Yon istwa imigrasyon
- Listening session about future of Annual Conference to take place online on Nov. 3
- La sesión informativa sobre el futuro de la Conferencia Anual se llevará a cabo en línea el 3 de noviembre.