Council, church find common ground
By Darleen Principe darleen@theacorn.com

Mayor Paul Miller agreed Monday to put on hold the city's attempt to collect nearly $40,000 for police services from United Church of Christ in Simi Valley.

After the mayor met privately with the Rev. June C. Goudey, pastor of the church, both parties signed a statement agreeing to "maintain an open dialogue" regarding the church's decision to provide sanctuary to a 29yearold undocumented Mexican woman known as Liliana.

"The city will continue to pursue resolution of this issue, and the mayor will recommend to the City Council that further action against UCC to enforce the letter sent to UCC asking for reimbursement of costs be placed on hold pending further discussion," the statement read.

During last week's City Council meeting, Mayor Paul Miller announced he would bill the church $39,306 for close to 500 police hours and other public services used in response to an anti-illegal-immigration rally in front of the church on Royal Avenue on Sept. 16.

Nearly 125 protesters and counterprotesters participated in the three-hour rally, which was organized by antiillegalimmigration group Save Our State.

Miller, who told the Simi Valley Acorn he did not regret his decision to pursue restitution from the church, said he was satisfied with the grounds of the agreement with Goudey.

When asked whether or not the city would try to bill UCC again if another protest were to take place- which local authorities think is likely- Miller replied, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

The mayor's original statements prompted UCC to hold a press conference last Friday, where ACLU attorney Peter Bibring demanded the proposed invoice be withdrawn.

"The city of Simi Valley's attempt to tax political expression is unquestionably unconstitutional," Bibring said at the conference. "The ACLU calls on the city to withdraw its unlawful demand."

The congregation, which joined the national New Sanctuary Movement in July, has been providing shelter to Liliana and her 6-month-old son, Pablo, in a house on the church grounds since late August.

The movement aims to keep families from being separated due to what sanctuary members consider to be "unjust" immigration laws.

A requirement of the movement is that UCC and Liliana agree to be public about their actions.

"In these challenging days, as we stand in solidarity with the New Sanctuary Movement, we remain firm in our resolve to offer Liliana and her infant son a peaceful, safe and prayerful presence while her legal issues receive due process," Goudey said last Friday.

Prior to the press conference, the mayor said the church's decision to be public about the matter provoked the protest, making the church responsible for the unbudgeted costs associated with the police response.

Liliana, whose 36-year-old husband, Gerardo, and three children are all U.S. citizens, was verbally denied residency in 2004 because of a short 1998 detention she served in San Ysidro for entering the country with a fake birth certificate.

Her immigration lawyer, Gabriella Navarro-Busch, said at the press conference that Liliana "never had her day in court" to address the charges, nor was she ever informed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in writing that she had to leave the country. ICE agents "stormed her home to arrest her" in May 2007, she said.

"(Liliana) has been denied due process throughout her entire immigration history," Navarro-Busch said. "We hope that by illustrating Liliana's plight, she will be afforded the opportunity to present her case before a judge."

On Sept. 5, Liliana received her first correspondence from ICE saying that her case had been denied- more than three years after she had her initial immigration interview.

Navarro-Busch told the Simi Valley Acorn this week that the document still does not instruct Liliana to leave the country.

"If immigration follows their own rules, what typically should happen is that once the person is issued the decision, if she doesn't volunteer to leave or apply through another means, immigration will give her a notice to appear," she said.

Based on the immigration laws in their current form, the entire process could take anywhere from two to seven years or more, Navarro-Busch said.

In the written agreement between Miller and Goudey, both sides acknowledged that the "current situation results from the lack of a firm, consistent federal policy on immigration."

"There was also agreement that one resolution to the issue is for the Department of Homeland Security to expedite Liliana's due process and make a prompt determination on her immigration status," the statement continued.

While Liliana's case is being processed, she's likely to stay at UCC for protection. According to movement leaders, her status will be reviewed every three months.

"I am here so that my family can stay together," Liliana said Friday. "The protest has made us stronger. I want to thank all the people who are supporting us. To all of you, I want to send a message. We will remain firm and strong so Congress hears our voice and respects our rights."