Bishop joins rally supporting
rights for immigrants

By Claudia M. Williams
Staff Writer
Bishop Joel N. Martinez was among Christian leaders who joined 18,000 people in an immigrant-rights rally April 10 in downtown San Antonio.
Legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives would make being an undocumented immigrant in the country a felony. The bill would criminalize assisting such a person.
Hundreds of thousands of people nationwide took to the streets April 10 to oppose the House bill and call attention to contributions immigrants have made to the country’s economy.
Christians have an obligation to speak up when they believe laws are unjust, Martinez said.
“It is our responsibility to raise questions,” he said, “and to block injustice.”
Martinez said the church has been “much too silent on the issue.”
United Methodists should work for the most comprehensive immigration law reform possible, Martinez said.
“The answer is not just open the border or build a wall,” he said. “Both are extreme measures. There has to be a balance between enforcement of the border and an increase in the guest worker program and increasing the ceiling on immigrants, particularly from Latin American countries.”
Martinez said the teachings of Christ “call us to serve God’s kingdom even if we are in conflict with the laws.” He told the San Antonio Express-News that he would support church workers who aid the undocumented.
“If it meant a penalty, they and I would both have to live with that,” he was quoted in an April 14 news story as saying.
“The first immigrants were people of faith seeking opportunities to practice their faith,” Martinez said later. “Our own nation began with faith-seeking persons. As people of faith, we are always open to immigrants.”
Many United Methodist congregations are already in ministry to people who don’t have documentation, the bishop noted.
“When somebody shows up at our door,” he said, “we don’t ask, ‘Are you a U.S. citizen?’ You don’t have to show a badge at the door to get service.”
The Rev. John Flowers, associate pastor of Travis Park UMC, San Antonio, said he was embarrassed that more mainline Protestant churches were not taking a stand on the immigration issue.
“The Roman Catholic Church took the lead on this,” said Flowers, who joined in the April 10 rally.
Martinez was acknowledged from the podium as leader of United Methodists in the Southwest Texas Conference, Flowers said, but “in his humility didn’t want to say anything.”
Flowers observed, “He wanted to stand with the people.”