The Sanctuary Movement of the 1980s

Historias Unknown

In the 1980s, a network of religious congregations became known as the Sanctuary Movement. It started with a Presbyterian church and a Quaker meeting in Tucson, Arizona. They began legal and humanitarian assistance to Salvadoran and Guatemalan refugees in 1980. After two years, none of the refugees they assisted had been granted political asylum. That's when Rev. John Fife of Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson announced — on the anniversary of the assassination of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero — that his church would openly defy INS and become a sanctuary for Central Americans. These congregations were soon joined by networks of religious congregations and activists across the United States and Mexico.

Carmen tells Cristina about the Sanctuary movement and after that, Cristina talks about HB20 and HB7, two house bills that are being opposed in Texas.

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Sources

https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/sanctuary-movement-arizona/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctuary_movement

https://web.archive.org/web/20140715013959/https://repository.library.georgetown.edu/handle/10822/552658

https://twitter.com/border_human/status/1646359860391342080?t=anysf5ozku9qjL1zkOEpEA&s=19

https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/04/12/human-rights-watch-testimony-texas-state-hb-20-and-hb-7

https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/immigration/2023/04/12/activists-in-el-paso-rally-against-border-bills-in-texas-legislature/70108656007/

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