OP-ED: Interfaith Leaders of Fall River & New Bedford Respond to Troubling Emails from Bristol County Sheriff Hodgson Regarding Immigrant Rights

FAITH LEADERS DEEPLY TROUBLED 
We the undersigned faith leaders of the South Coast Massachusetts region are deeply troubled over the recent revelation (uncovered via the regulations of the Freedom of Information Act) of emails written by Sheriff Thomas Hodgson (sheriff of Bristol County) in 2017 to the White House suggesting that his church is providing illicit information about immigrant rights.   As reported by the New Bedford Standard-Times on December 6, 2019, Sheriff Hodgson saw pamphlets placed at the back of his church, St. Julie Billiart Parish in Dartmouth, MA, helping readers to “Know Your Rights” when approached by immigrant officials.  

We are outraged that Sheriff Hodgson, in his correspondence with White House advisor Stephen Miller, implies that his parish, and perhaps other places of worship, are engaged in seditious behavior by keeping people informed of their legal rights before the law. Sheriff Hodgson is quoted as “trying to determine if this is an isolated situation or a common occurrence in other parish churches.”

This action is troubling for many reasons.  The first is the suggestion that church officials or religious leaders of any faith are doing something illegal that warrants suspicion and possible surveillance when ministering to their congregation.   As faith leaders we have seen all too often, throughout history, the end result of suspicion and surveillance on people of faith.  We cannot accept government intervention in lawful faith-related activities. 

Advising members of a congregation on their rights and obligations before the law is completely legal. As faith leaders we also remember that our sacred texts encourage us to give shelter to those fleeing persecution, disasters and famine.  We are to nurture the sick, the indigent, the homeless, the poor, the wayfarer, the imprisoned, and to give succor to those who ask for forgiveness and pardon.  

While we do not encourage illegal behavior, leaders and adherents of all faiths hold our places of worship sacrosanct.  If the belief of the congregation so dictates, our houses of worship can also be sanctuaries for those in need.  

We pray for peace, stability and prosperity in places from which people flee throughout the world.  We are full of gratitude and admiration for those congregations which offer hospitality, accommodation and tolerance for those who are fleeing real danger and persecution.  We pray God’s guidance and mercy will prevail in our nation and in all places of persecution and displacement.    

We, the following South Coast spiritual leaders, maintain vigorously the inviolability of our houses of worship. We declare “our right to be safe in our faith.”  

Blessings for peace, safety and justice for all on earth.  

Fr. Richard Roy, St. Julie Billiart Catholic Church, North Dartmouth
The Rev. Susan H. Lee, Ph. D., Rector, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Fall River
Rabbi Raphael Kanter, Tifereth Israel, New Bedford
Rev. David Lupo, ss.cc., St. Mary Catholic Church, Fairhaven
Rev. Dr. Daniel Rivera, Spanish Church of God, New Bedford
The Rev. Dr. Leslie Stewart Simonson, Interim Minister, First Baptist Church, Fall River
Sr. Marianna Sylvester, RSM, Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church, New Bedford
The Rev. MaryAnn Purtill, First Congregational Church, Marion
The Rev. James Hornsby, Rector Emeritus, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Fall River
The Very Rev. Thomas Washburn, Pastor & Rector, Catholic Community of Central Fall River
Rabbi Mark Elber, Temple Beth El, Fall River
The Rev. Christopher Morck, Rector, Grace Episcopal Church, New Bedford
Martin Bentz, Outreach Coordinator, Islamic Society of Southeastern MA, South Dartmouth
The Rev. M Lise Hildebrandt, Interim Priest, Church of the Holy Spirit, Fall River
The Rev. Dr. Virginia H. Child, Interim Pastor, First Congregational Church UCC, Wareham, MA
The Rev. Jordinn Nelson-Long, Minister, Unitarian Universalist Society of Fairhaven
Mrs. Deborah Zane, Pastoral Associate, Catholic Community of Central Fall River
Cantor Nathaniel Schudrich, Tifereth Israel, New Bedford
The Rev. Arrington Chambliss, Executive Director of Episcopal City Mission, Boston
The Rev. Ron Tibbets, Engagement Coordinator of Episcopal City Mission, Boston
The Rev. Michael Melendez, Deacon for Episcopal City Mission, Boston
The Rev. Donald S. Mier, Somerset
The Rev. Paul Langston-Daley, Assistant Minister for Adult Programs, Unitarian Universalist Society of Fairhaven
The Rev. Emily J. Kellar, Congregational Church of S. Dartmouth, UCC
The Reverend Juan Carlos Munoz Montoya, Parochial Victor, Director of Spanish Ministry, Catholic Community of Central Fall River
Karen Andersen, Minister, The First Unitarian Church of New Bedford
Cantor Shoshana Brown, Temple Beth El, Fall River

Reporting materials seen at Dartmouth church was a sheriff's duty 
By Thomas M. Hodgson

As Sheriff of Bristol County, my No. 1 charge is public safety. It’s what all of us in law enforcement focus on, day in and day out, and it’s been my focus in my 30-plus years in law enforcement, including 22 as Bristol County Sheriff.

Public safety: Making sure Bristol County is a safe place to live, work and raise a family.

Public safety was also the motivation behind communicating with a White House official about literature relative to “ICE and Immigration” that I saw in the back of my church.

ICE is a federal law enforcement organization under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that focuses on criminal illegal aliens.

An example of the organization’s work: In fiscal 19, ICE apprehended more than 1,900 people convicted of homicide.

So when I saw literature regarding law enforcement and immigration at the back of my church, I passed the information along to Washington in the interest of public safety.

I’m sharing this today because I feel compelled to correct the record after reading a recent Letter to the Editor from faith-based leaders in Bristol County.

The essence of their letter objects to my correspondence with Washington, and their characterization of my motive for sending along the information couldn’t be more misguided and wrong.

In no way was my effort to suggest church leaders were involved in “seditious behavior,” as they opined in their letter. And I certainly was not suggesting, as they wrote, “church officials or religious leaders of any faith are doing something illegal and warrants suspicion and possible surveillance when ministering to their congregation.”

Did I ask the White House to spy on my or any other church? No. Did I say the literature was suspicious? No.

True be known, my action was solely based on my professional obligation to protect all congregations in Bristol County and beyond.

As someone who attends church weekly, I appreciate and recognize the incredible value of the work of our faith leaders.

Like our faith leaders, I too have an obligation to save and protect souls, but in a different way as a law enforcement professional. My sole motivation in reaching out to the administration in Washington had everything to do with fulfilling my obligation to protect the safety of our citizens and the churches and synagogues in which they worship.

My email was intended to be informational and proactive to identify a possible trend that may be ongoing or developing; a trend that, if it comes to fruition, should be shared with faith-based leaders to alert them to security risks.

Maybe this kind of literature is popping up at churches all over the country.

Maybe not. Maybe it’s cause for concern. Maybe not. The only way we’ll know is by sharing information that can identify possible trends and possibly make our communities more safe.

As a Certified Crime Prevention Specialist, I am keenly aware that those who commit crimes against innocent people seek out venues where they can lay low and minimize the risk of being identified, places where they can assimilate into the community while plotting and planning an illicit act.

An example of this are the Sanctuary communities across the United States, places which have enacted policies to limit or outlaw cooperation between local and federal law enforcement relating to illegal immigrants. These communities are commonly known as places where illegal immigrants, including the ones who are committing serious crimes, can lie low and know there are barriers and obstacles in place to make it harder for them to be apprehended by law enforcement.

Chad Wolf, acting secretary of DHS, put it best when he said recently: “Sanctuary policies do not protect communities; they endanger them.”

So it’s my hope today that through this essay clarifying my motive and correcting the record, that our faith-based leaders have a better understanding of the important role and obligation I have to keep our citizens safe while worshipping in our churches, synagogues and other houses or worship.

At the end of the day, it’s all about public safety and sharing information with others who share the same goal: Keeping Bristol County a safe place to live, work and raise a family, especially in churches and other houses or worship.