Methodist Church Outside Seattle Houses Nearly 400 Illegal Immigrants
A Methodist church outside of Seattle has become a 24/7 homeless encampment and sanctuary for nearly 400 illegal immigrants.
Riverton Park United Methodist Church is in Tukwila, located just a few miles outside of Seattle. The church’s congregation leader, Jan Bolerjack, spoke with Jonathan Choe who was reporting on behalf of Frontlines about the desperation facing not only the immigrants but also the community trying to support them.
Hundreds of illegal immigrants and homeless individuals are now sleeping in tents on church property, leading to a crisis situation for church leaders.
“We need housing for these folks, we need them not to be in tests,” Bolerjack said. “They somehow get this phone number, this address and they show up here.”
Bolerjack told Choe that she has received calls from illegal migrants who just crossed over the Southern Border and need shelter and resources. Nearly all of the men, women, and children staying at the church are from Venezuela or Angola, and most speak little to no English. It has been nearly a year since many of them arrived.
Choe said that the environment felt like “controlled chaos.”
“We can’t take anymore,” Bolerjack told Choe, “[but] if a family shows up standing at my door, we take them.”
Many of the individuals staying at the church have received “notice to appear” (NTA) documents, giving them a date to appear in U.S. immigration court, but many have to wait years to have their asylum request heard by a judge.
Choe obtained police records revealing more than 100 dispatch calls to Riverton Park United Methodist Church within the past year. Incident reports include alleged rapes, three suicides, burglaries, auto theft, unwanted subjects on the property, harassment, lewd conduct, and vandalism.
There are also deep cultural differences between the Angolan immigrants and the Venezuelans, and clashes have become a regular occurrence.
One woman staying on church grounds told Choe that they have experienced several problematic incidents, but church staff members have pressured them into silence. The lead pastor Bollerjack did not respond to these allegations.
Tukwila’s mayor recently declared a state of emergency to access greater regional support and funding, as the illegal immigration crisis has grown out of control.
The church and several private donors have bankrolled the tent-city initiative thus far; however, as the situation grows out of hand, local officials say that has undermined homeless support systems for Americans throughout the region.
A spokesperson for Washington State Governor Jay Inslee’s Office said that they’re aware of what is happening, and have attempted to provide aid. The spokesperson insisted that the office has not “heard of other jurisdictions experiencing this same situation.”
Neighboring communities and homeowners near the Riverton Park United Methodist Church expressed outrage that undocumented migrants would be housed near their family homes without their prior knowledge.
