For Immediate Release: Sept. 17, 2020
Contact: Heather Cabral, 202-550-6880, heather@westendstrategy.com
“The administration and ICE blatantly disregarding the long-honored sanctity of religious institutions and their property is deeply troubling.”
Washington, D.C. – The Congregation Action Network, an immigrant-advocacy network of more than 60 faith communities across the Washington D.C. metro area affiliated with Faith in Action, spoke out today to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for arresting Binsar Siahaan, an undocumented Indonesian immigrant, on church grounds.
On Sept. 10, federal agents went to Siahaan’s home located on the grounds of Glenmont United Methodist Church in Silver Spring, claiming they were checking Siahaan’s GPS monitor from a prior detainment. However, once outside of his home, Siahaan was arrested, detained in Baltimore, and transferred to Georgia to await deportation. CAN firmly believes that church grounds should be sacred and calls for Siahaan to be released back to his family.
“The administration and ICE blatantly disregarding the long-honored sanctity of religious institutions and property is deeply troubling,” said Omar Perez, lead organizer for the Congregation Action Network. “ICE’s actions last week have put the scores of asylum seekers that have taken refuge in faith communities in extreme jeopardy.”
Siahaan’s attorney has since filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to block his deportation, along with a petition in Maryland federal court that alleged his arrest was illegal because ICE entered the home without a warrant. ICE said in a statement that Siahaan received “full due process,” but it did not address the legality of the arrest.
“I denounce the methods used by ICE in the detention of Mr. Siahaan. Arresting him under false pretenses on church property in front of his family undermines ICE policy and convention when it comes to removing people from sensitive locations. We should all be deeply concerned about the extra steps ICE is taking to detain a person who has no criminal record and who has two US-born children. I am worried about what ICE’s actions foretell for immigrant families and their safety at hospitals, schools and houses of worship if we let this go unchecked,” added Rev. Dr. Matt Braddock, Sr. Minister, Christ Congregational Church, Silver Spring.
“The church and the surrounding property including the Siahaan’s home are sensitive locations. ICE is violating its own policy to detain a man that poses no threat to the community. This is a clear effort by ICE to alarm and scare the faith community in southern Maryland, said Rich Morales, immigration policy and program director for LA RED, Faith in Action. If ICE is willing to arrest people on church property what is stopping them from arresting and deporting immigrant families from hospitals and schools? We will continue to defend ourselves and to offer sanctuary to immigrant families as long as ICE insists on disappearing our friends and neighbors.”
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The Congregation Action Network, formerly known as the DMV Sanctuary Congregation Network, is a network that acts in solidarity to end detention, deportation, profiling, and criminalization of immigrants and demands justice, dignity, safety, and family unity. In the face of hate and discrimination our faith calls us to act with love, compassion and hospitality. More information at faithinaction.org/federation/congregation-action-network/.
Faith in Action, formerly known as PICO National Network, is the largest grassroots, faith-based organizing network in the United States. The nonpartisan organization works with 1,000 religious congregations in more than 200 cities and towns through its 46 local and state federations. For more information visit www.faithinaction.org.
Faith in Action is a 501c(3). Faith in Action and its affiliates are non-partisan and are not aligned explicitly or implicitly with any candidate or party. We do not endorse or support candidates for office.
