A gathering in Sioux Center on Saturday will combine worship and prayer with a call for immigration reform and opportunities to help local immigrant families.
The “Rally for Human Dignity” is scheduled for September 12, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Central Park bandshell. Organizers have reserved the space until noon.
Maria Magdalena Reformed Church is partnering with other churches and local church leaders for the event. Jason Lief, a co-pastor at Maria Magdalena, says the gathering builds on a well-attended prayer event for immigrants held last year.
“But as things are moving along, we just kind of feel like along with prayer, there needs to be an opportunity for people to understand, you know, what’s going on, what’s the need?” Lief said. “But also how, how can we get involved?”
Faith and Immigration Reform
The program will include worship, prayer and remarks from local pastors and leaders. Lief says caring for immigrants is part of the church’s calling, and he hopes the gathering will encourage people to consider how they can put that responsibility into practice.
He describes the rally as nonpartisan.
“We know that it’s going to take Republicans and Democrats and everyone in between to make change happen,” Lief said.
One focus will be the Dignity Act, also known as the DIGNIDAD Act, or H.R. 4393. Republican U.S. Representative María Elvira Salazar of Florida and Democratic U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar of Texas lead the bipartisan immigration proposal. It combines border security and asylum system changes with opportunities for qualifying undocumented immigrants to obtain legal status.
The proposal’s Dignity Program would establish a seven-year process for qualifying undocumented immigrants who have lived continuously in the United States since December 31, 2020. Participants would have to pass criminal background checks, pay required taxes, maintain health coverage, and pay $7,000 in restitution over seven years. Those who complete the program could apply for legal status renewable every seven years. That status would not itself provide a pathway to citizenship.
National Immigration Forum bill summary
The legislation also includes expanded border infrastructure, changes intended to speed asylum processing and mandatory employment eligibility verification through E-Verify. Participants in the Dignity Program would also pay a one-percent levy on earnings.
Salazar’s Dignity Act overview
Lief acknowledges the legislation involves compromises. He says part of the rally’s purpose is to encourage attendees to ask U.S. Representative Randy Feenstra to co-sponsor it.
For Lief, that advocacy is rooted in local relationships.
“And I think it’s important for us to stand up for our friends and neighbors who’ve become an important part of Sioux Center and the broader area,” Lief said.
Opportunities to Help Locally
Beyond discussing federal legislation, attendees can learn ways to support community members directly. Those opportunities include providing diapers and supporting a legal clinic Maria Magdalena has started to help people navigate legal immigration pathways.
Lief also anticipates food will be available for purchase through a participating church.
Maria Magdalena is a bilingual, multiethnic congregation in Sioux Center. Its stated mission emphasizes breaking down divisions and sharing the gospel through multiethnic, multilingual worship. Its vision includes seeking the flourishing of both its members and the broader community.
Along with his pastoral role, Lief is a professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Northwestern College and works part-time as an immigration mobilizer for the National Immigration Forum.
Lief says people do not have to share the same political views or attend church to participate in Saturday’s gathering.
“We just want people to come together and support our immigrant friends and neighbors. And we want this to be a step towards letting our voices be heard on their behalf.”
