The Sanctuary and Immigrant Justice Team was formed in 2016 in response to an administration that was threatening to deport any and all migrants, including those who were here with immigration proceedings in process. We are in this situation again now. This time we are more prepared. We are already officially a Sanctuary Church as of UUCC members’ vote in April 2017. The shower across from the kitchen was built shortly thereafter to be able to host people who are in fear of deportation in spite of being in the legal immigration process. Other faith leaders have already been in touch, wanting to revive our partnerships from the past to make sure we can be there for each other and for some of the most existentially threatened people under the new administration.

The team has also supported local immigrants, providing financial and other support to recently arrived asylum seekers and their sponsors.

The team ordinarily meets via Zoom at 1:30 p.m. on the second Sunday each month. For more information, contactAllie Gassmann (email) or Dave Gibbons (email), the team’s co-chairs.