JP Church Shelters Man Facing Deportation

JAMAICA PLAIN, MA —This spring, University Lutheran Church in Cambridge made headlines after it became the first church in the state to provide sanctuary to an undocumented immigrant when it took in a 26-year-old mother of two facing deportation. Four months later in JP, the pastor over at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church (Bethel AME) said the church on Walk Hill Street was doing something similar.

The church recently took in a man facing deportation and sent ICE letting the agency know as much, the Boston Globe reported. Church leaders told the Globe they believe that if they are not harboring the man in secret, they are not violating the law, and ICE has been steering clear of schools and churches.

Read the rest of the Globe story here: Bethel AME Jamaica Plain Believed First Black Church To Offer Sanctuary To Undocumented Immigrants

Pastor Ray did not immediately return request for comment from Patch. When he does, we'll update.

JP has a number of people who want to help not just undocumented immigrants, but those here legally under DACA but at risk of losing their footing, Patch found.

Resident Community Organizer at Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation Samantha Montaño just announced Monday the creation of an online donation site created to help raise funds for DACA recipients.

The effort is a collaboration with City Life/Vida Urbana, and an online donation site (clvu.org/daca_fund) has been created specifically for DACA recipients to help defray the cost of renewal fees, which runs $495 for each renewal application.

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Read the rest of the Globe story here: Bethel AME Jamaica Plain Believed First Black Church To Offer Sanctuary To Undocumented Immigrants

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