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The Berkeley Organizing Congregation for Action (BOCA) will partner with the First Congregational Church of Berkeley Saturday to deconstruct myths, fears and assumptions about immigration. 

Open to all community members, the teach-in will specifically target First Congregational Church (United Church of the Christ) members who are interested in the New Sanctuary Movement, which aims to raise awareness about the injustices of the current immigration policy. 

“We want to create awareness about immigrants, legal or undocumented,” said BOCA lead organizer Belen Pulido. “A lot of people in Berkeley are pro-immigrant, but most of them are ignorant about little things. The general impression is immigrants don’t pay taxes and they reap benefits like health care and food stamps. But the truth is the majority of immigrants do pay taxes, and they don’t necessarily reap benefits.” 

The event includes an interactive historical overview of immigration policy in the United States and testimony from a local Hispanic family, at least one of whose members is currently facing deportation. 

First Congregational Church Minister of Community Life Adam Blons said the church was exploring the possibility of joining the New Sanctuary Movement and housing a family within its premises. 

“Saturday’s event will help us understand where we are today in terms of immigration policy in the United States,” he said. “It will show us how policies affect individuals in our community.” 

Churches across the country whose congregations believe basic human rights of immigrants are being violated have adopted the New Sanctuary Movement. 

As part of the movement, these churches host a family they believe has been unjustly prosecuted and provide it with legal services to fight its case in court. 

“An important part of the movement is to create awareness about the current immigration policy,” Blons said. 

Immigration rights attorney Mark Silverman—who provides consultation to BOCA members—will also be present on Saturday to answer questions on immigration. 

“We and other people have learned that you can’t do immigration reform by only organizing immigrants,” Silverman said. “Immigrants marched for their rights two years ago, and they will march again on Thursday (today). Non-immigrants need to be involved as well. We need to listen to their doubts and concerns. They are the voters, they are the ones who can bring about immigration reform.” 

Immigration teach-in at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way (848-3696, www.fccb.org), Saturday, May 3, 1-4 p.m. Childcare is available for ages 2-10 by calling 848-3696 ext. 26.