Ten years ago this week, I was blessed to participate in the most powerful non-violent witness of my life, when I was arrested outside the White House, standing up for our young immigrant “Dreamers” and their families. My dear clergy brother, Owen Ross helped guide four of us from Dallas (including the great Jason Redick) through this powerful witness.

More than 100 clergy, many United Methodist, participated in this witness; which we saw as a mandate of our Biblical faith to advocate for immigrant families.

Moments from that day are forever burned into me…

• Standing in front of the White House, as spectators, press and onlookers were pushed back, forming a perimeter around us….we stood there, unarmed and yet unwilling to move…
• Mounted Capitol Police, DC Police, and others in tactical gear were everywhere…
• We’d made clear our desire to make a non-violent witness, and unlike the tragedy of Jan 6, we treated the police with the utmost respect, as they did their jobs, arrested us, and took us to jail…
• Finally, just after the picture you see here…as we were in the police transport, hands cuffed behind our backs and sweat pouring out of us, Owen recited The Lord’s Prayer in Spanish, just before we were driven away…

Here is the blog I posted the day-of the event.
And here is a post several days later, reflecting more on the event.
Finally, copious pictures from a Facebook post.

I’m both grateful for this moment of non-violent social action…and yet…

I think back to that blog I wrote, called “Failure To Move.” And now, it’s ten years later, and I am so deeply troubled at how all of our political leaders continue to fail us on the issue of immigration.

It’s been TEN YEARS…and politicians continue to politicize immigrants, “Otherize” them…use them as either political footballs or an untouchable “third rail.”

The ensuing years have included rhetoric and actions by my fellow citizens that I could have never fathomed on that day…from Muslim Bans, to kids in cages…to the ongoing and often overt “Otherizing” of even our native born citizens, who happen to be “living while Brown.”

I’m not denying we have issues with our “system.” But I refuse to suggest that it’s only one party or the other’s fault.
Remember: We were protesting Barack Obama’s lack of action that day.
The mess we are in now is our continuing and collective shame, and the responsiblity/fault of ALL our elected leaders.

I have many previously expressed thoughts on immigration which you may find here. The unacknowledged truth is that not only are we a nation of immigrants, but clear evidence shows that our economy only functions well when we allow for regular immigration. Finally, we Christians must account for the Biblical mandate to treat immigrants by the same law that we treat the native born…something we are clearly not doing now.

But this weekend, I look back on this memory, with great fondness and pride.
And pray that, someday, we might yet treat immigrants as we do our native born, as our Bible tells us we must.