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Accomplishments in 2018 Submitted by Martin Dickinson, Co-Chair

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Accomplishments in 2018 Submitted by Martin Dickinson, Co-Chair Washington National Cathedral Sanctuary Committee Accomplishments in 2018 Submitted by Martin Dickinson, Co-chair In January, 2018, Cathedral Congregation members, as followers of Jesus of Nazareth and His law of love, and taking seriously the biblical mandate to “honor the immigrant in our midst as one of our own” (Lev. 19:34), established the Washington National Cathedral Sanctuary Committee. The Committee provides support and solidarity to our immigrant brothers and sisters who are at risk of profiling, detention, deportation and permanent separation from family members. During its first year, the Committee: 1. Recruited more than 25 active members from the Cathedral as well as from several Episcopal Diocese of Washington (EDOW) congregations. Members participate in monthly Committee meetings held in the Bethlehem Chapel. Guest speakers in 2018 included Lacy Broemel, Refugee and Immigration Policy Analyst, Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations; Kathy Doan, Esq., Executive Director, Capital Area Immigrant Rights Coalition; and James Feroli, Esq., Pro Bono Coordinator and Government Liaison, Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Services. 2. Drafted a Committee Charter and Strategic Plan calling for education, advocacy, outreach and prayer on behalf of immigrants. 3. Staffed an information table at the EDOW January 27, 2018 Diocesan Convention to disseminate information about the plight of immigrants in our congregations and communities. The Convention overwhelmingly adopted a resolution “On Becoming a Sanctuary Diocese, Offering Sacred Welcome to Immigrants.” 4. Coordinated with DMV Sanctuary Congregation Network, a network of over 40 congregations in DC, Maryland and Virginia providing support and solidarity for immigrants and immigrant families at risk of deportation. Cathedral Sanctuary Committee members participate actively in the Downtown (DC) Cluster, which meets monthly at National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle. 5. Held a prayer vigil for immigrants on July 8 at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Mount Rainier, Maryland. Rev. Canon Daniel Darko, St. John’s Priest-in-charge presided. Prayers were offered by Rev. Canon Leonard Hamlin, Sr., Cathedral Canon Missioner, and the Rev. Sandra Bramble, Deacon, as well as by Sanctuary Committee members. The vigil was followed by dinner prepared and hosted by St. John’s congregation members. 6. Participated in a prayer vigil for Rosa Gutierrez on December 11, 2018 at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda, Maryland. Ms. Gutierrez, the first immigrant to take sanctuary in a Washington area church, has three U.S.-born children. She fled El Salvador in 2005 facing harassment from machete-wielding farmworkers. Ms. Gutierrez took sanctuary at Cedar Lane instead of deporting on December 10 as required by Federal authorities. Her attorney is petitioning for a stay of her deportation order. 7. Accompanied immigrants to their ICE “check-ins,” including a check-in vigil and rally on behalf of Marta Rodriguez and Prince Gbohoutou July 9 at the Baltimore office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Regrettably, Ms. Rodriguez was separated from her U.S. family and deported to El Salvador. Prince Gbohoutou remains in detention while contesting his deportation to the Central African Republic. 8. Hosted trainings for those wishing to accompany immigrants to their ICE check-ins or to visit with immigrants in detention. These trainings were led by Brandon Wu of Sanctuary DMV, a sister organization to the Congregation Network, and Erin Hustings, Esq. Director of the D.C. Detention Visitation Network and Senior Policy Analyst at the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) Education Fund. 9. Visited regularly with ICE detainees at the Howard County ICE Detention Center in Jessup, Maryland, which houses immigrants facing deportation or awaiting hearings or decisions on their cases before U.S. Immigration Courts. The Committee members’ detainee visits are coordinated through the D.C. Detention Visitation Network. 10. Sent Christmas letters to ten ICE detainees at Worcester County Detention Center, Snow Hill, Maryland. Currently the facility holds over 150 men and women, who face months of confinement with little contact with the outside world. Detainees often send return letters and value being connected with those who care about their hardships. Sanctuary Committee members offer to pray for detainees and their family members. 11. Participated in a June 30 major demonstration, “Families Belong Together,” to protest the U.S. Government policy of separating children from their families at the U.S. Southern Border. Over 2,000 children were separated and detained prior to the separations being halted by court order in response to legal action by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The Cathedral Sanctuary Committee meets on the last Tuesday of each month in Bethlehem Chapel, 7:30–9 pm. Contact the Sanctuary Committee via email at: [email protected] This Sanctuary Report is offered through the offices of the Canon Missioner and Vicar. WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL, 3101 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016. Website: http://www.cathedral.org. .
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