"On the evening of April 25, more than 250 parishioners from Sacred Heart in the west side of San Antonio stood in thunderous support of SAPD Chief William McManus after he vowed to "fight crime, not chase immigrants!" He then asked the assembly to work with him, because SAPD wants "to be part of this community, not apart from it." McManus' commitments came in response to various gut-wrenching stories of residents who live in fear—fear of criminals and of law enforcement—but are determined to do something about it....

As energizing as the West side gathering was, what made it truly remarkable was that it emerged from hundreds of similar stories shared during "house meetings," or small group conversations, organized by Sacred Heart and COPS/Metro during Lent. Parishioners met in the church hall after Masses, knocked on doors around the neighborhood for six straight Saturdays, and hosted neighbors in their homes to understand the pressures on the families and to find people willing to act. Weeks of training, conversations, deliberation and preparation came before the meeting with Chief McManus...."

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"About 450 people gathered Sunday at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church to listen to candidates vying to represent Precincts 1 and 3 on County Commissioners Court, Districts 75 and 77 in the Texas House of Representatives, and the 16th and 23rd Congressional Districts in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The event was organized by El Paso Interreligious Sponsoring Organization, a non-partisan group..."

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"The archdiocesan Office of Life, Justice and Peace in partnership with Sacred Heart Church, Catholic Relief Services, Mexican American Catholic College and COPS / Metro, celebrated a Mass for Justice on April 25 renewing their commitment in raising awareness of the impact of Arizona immigration law SB1070....

After mass, Sacred Heart Parish sponsored an assembly on immigration to highlight the impact of anti-immigrant laws on families that create fear, vulnerable citizens and concerns of violations of human rights."

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Immigration Reform Takes Center Stage at Texas Legislature, Brownsville Herald

by Leah Mundell, Roxana de Niz, Rom Coles, & Gerald Wood; "Interfaith Council Works for Civility," Arizona Daily Sun

by Jeannie Kever, "A Call to Action on Immigration: Local Religious Leaders Hopeful for Reform, Despite Political Climate," Houston Chronicle

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by Silvia Struthers, "El Tortuoso Camino del Dream Act," La Voz de Houston

In San Antonio, COPS/ Metro Alliance succeeded in getting their city council to adopt a resolution opposing Arizona's immigration law and communicating to Texas state legislators that such a law would not be tolerated in San Antonio.

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