[Excerpts]
When the Rev. Joey Evangelista saw immigration agents wearing “full battle gear,” their faces covered by masks, just two blocks from St. Kevin Catholic Church, he froze. The Catholic priest, a member of the Missionaries of Jesus, said he still has trauma from facing military intimidation while in ministry in the Philippines and Congo.
Evangelista said the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions reminded him of former Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte’s tactics during his war on drugs. The priest told RNS, “It’s the same playbook, and it’s scary.”
Although Evangelista admits he’s “scared” as a priest in the United States on a religious worker visa, he’s using his “privileged position” as a clergy member to work with a local interfaith group that wants to defend democracy.
One LA, a local coalition of religious groups and other community institutions, has been convening civics meetings, which the group refers to as “freedom schools,” since the summer in response to immigration raids. They also work with local elected officials to hold public hearings about the impacts of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign, seeing both efforts as helping protect democracy…
At the launch at the historic Catholic mission, over 200 people filled the church; people shared their experiences and learned about constitutional law, their rights when dealing with immigration agents and preparing one’s family for a potential immigration emergency.
Since July, One LA has held about 35 freedom schools at different congregations in its network. Freedom schools are designed to be ongoing, where a small group continues to meet to build relationships, which is key to a “healthy democracy,” Hoo said…
The sessions have helped some attendees…One parishioner at San Gabriel Mission, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he lacks legal immigration status, said that his apartment building had twice been raided in the middle of the night by immigration agents but that they had been unsuccessful in detaining anyone. He learned about his rights for the first time at a freedom school and shared his new knowledge with his landscaping colleagues and neighbors, telling them not to open their doors during a warrantless raid. He said having information like this helps him feel less anxious….
One LA approached Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in October and suggested the city hold public hearings over concerns about civil rights violations related to ICE arrests. That ultimately led to a partnership with U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and a congressional hearing of Democrats in LA on Nov. 24…
“I am speaking out because violently arresting and detaining honest working people is violating their fundamental dignity as human beings,”
Evangelista said…
Hoo, the One LA lead organizer, told RNS he wants people to reject powerlessness, which underscores the group’s efforts.
“ As long as we keep practicing democracy, it’s not dead,” he said. “As long as we keep defending and standing up for our rights, they’re not gone.”
[Photo credit: Aleja Hertzler-McCain, RNS]
How an LA Interfaith Coalition is Using 'Freedom Schools' to Defend Against ICE, Religious News Service [pdf]