More Than Just Physical Space:
The New Sanctuary Movement
in New York City
As the Trump Administration makes good on its promise to mass deport millions of undocumented people, faith-based immigrant rights groups in New York City are organizing to meet the moment, despite a legal setback in April which denies houses of worship the right to stop immigration officials from entering their sacred spaces.
This organizing takes many forms from accompanying immigrants to ICE appointments, to providing, food and clothing, and most of all, to making people feel spiritually comforted so they don’t feel so alone.
“Sanctuary was never physical. It was never to bring people into the church to be safe. It was always an active accompaniment; going with them to places where they were in danger,” said Donna Schaper, now the retired Senior Pastor of Judson Memorial Church, who was one of the early leaders of the Sanctuary Movement
An archival document from the 194th General Assembly Meeting in 1982 from the New York Presbyterian Church. Courtesy of Judson Memorial Church Archives
An archival document from the 194th General Assembly Meeting in 1982 from the New York Presbyterian Church. Courtesy of Judson Memorial Church Archives
The Sanctuary Movement began in the 1980s as a result of an influx of asylum seekers first from El Salvador, and then from Guatemala and Nicaragua, where violent rulers, propped up by the U.S., battled popular uprisings resulting in upheava l, terror and dislocation. Responses to the influx of Central American asylum seekers was similar to the current Trump administration now: there were automatic deportations and blocking people at the border. In response to this, faith spaces began to open themselves up as places of physical sanctuary; to grant those under threat of deportation solace and protection. This movement would fade due to legislation changes – most notably Temporary Protected Status (TPS) – but not completely.
Thus, in 2007, the New Sanctuary Movement was born in response to escalation of deportations, most notably as they affected families.
On a misty morning outside 26 Federal Plaza, an imposing 41 story building, Padre Fabian Arias, along with four other members of the New Sanctuary Coalition, a mix of faith leaders and activists, solemnly walked and prayed as armed agents stood watch.
Each time around, the five stopped to silently pray at the ICE entrance, save for the final turn when they recited the Jericho Prayer.
The ending of the Jericho Prayer is a shout, a guttural sound.
It was clear in his prayer, and in his shout, the New Sanctuary Movement holds a deep place in Padre Fabian’s heart.
Padre Fabian, born and raised in Argentina, and current pastor at Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church has called New York home since 2002. From 2009 until now, he has been the legal guardian for 221 minors seeking to stay in the USA. His 221st child is a son, of whom he has a video with outside of the Immigration Court in Queens. The two smiled brightly as the video played, with Padre Fabian looking like any other parent sharing their child’s accomplishments with a stranger. Throughout his over two decades as a pastor, the New Sanctuary Movement and immigration rights, more broadly, have always been a part of his practice. In part, it is the preservation of identity that he centers on. “In my personal case, the Latino group,” he explained as one of the groups he supports. “We really need to conserve the cultural identity,” inclusive of language and traditions.
What matters to Padre Fabian most, when it comes to the term sanctuary, is that people do not feel “alone in the city.” The journeys people go through to get to this country can be traumatic, he explained, physically and psychologically. He sees sanctuary as a physical space, but also as a calling for folks “to receive heart and love and protection.” To that end, his work as a legal guardian has been a means to succeed in this mission.
Last month, as he walked out of his office, Padre Fabian saw a young man he recognized, waiting on a bench outside the chapel. The two embraced with smiles that quickly disappeared as the young man quietly, yet urgently, asked questions on immigration status in Spanish. While the younger man was nervous, Padre Fabian spoke to him with a clear confidence that, for the moment, seemed to dissipate some of the fear. In short, the young man was not alone; he had Padre Fabian to turn to. The sanctuary in action was not a physical one, but one of emotional assurance that is equally powerful.
Another important faith-based institution supporting immigrants is the Interfaith Center of New York (ICNY) which has built a network to provide soup kitchens, weekly resource meetings, and support through ICE check ins and immigration hearings.
Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer, the Executive Director of ICNY since 2007, spoke on the importance of bringing in a diversity of faiths to the New Sanctuary Movement. She explained, during the first Trump administration, there was a focus to “diversify the religious backgrounds of some of the places that were offering accompaniment and sanctuary,” in order support and empower a broader group of new New Yorkers.
Donna Schaper, now the retired Senior Pastor of Judson Memorial Church, helped shepherd that movement. “The first seven members were from all different religions and relationships,” Donna said, highlighting the interfaith coalition at the center of the New Sanctuary Movement. While the Sanctuary Movement of the 1980s was predominantly of Christian faith, the New Sanctuary Movement was founded across different faith beliefs, including Judaism and Islam. The movement, like any other, would change under different administrations and political pressures, but, like the calling Pastor Fabian described, it would never leave the faith spaces.
Reverend Donna Schaper is arrested during demonstrations against the deportation of Jean Montrevil in 2010. Photograph courtesy of Mizue Aizeki from New Sanctuary Movement
Reverend Donna Schaper is arrested during demonstrations against the deportation of Jean Montrevil in 2010. Photograph courtesy of Mizue Aizeki from New Sanctuary Movement
Donna was one of the key figures of the movement, given her status as Senior Pastor at Judson, and was even arrested in 2010 during a protest to stop the deportation of Jean Montrevil, an activist and co-founder of the New Sanctuary Coalition. Jean had been arrested in December of 2009 and received a deportation order that would take effect in 2018. His advocates successfully fought for him to return to the U.S. in 2021 and just last year was granted three years of protection from deportation. Donna can still picture the photograph clearly, even though she does not have it, down to the detail of her clerical robe. It is a moment she has not forgotten, partially because, as she explained, “it was the first round of arrests.”
