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FAITH UNDER FIRE
U.S. deporting Christian pastors
Immigration rejects requests to stay when church leaders' visas expire

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Posted: June 23, 2008
10:10 pm Eastern


By Chelsea Schilling
© 2008 WorldNetDaily



Keith Thomas and wife, Sandy


U.S. immigration authorities have stepped up deportations, but rather than pursue illegal aliens, they have chosen to evict America's church ministers from the country instead.

Honesty could cost Christian pastor Keith Thomas his citizenship because he cooperated with immigration officials, disclosing two minor marijuana convictions he incurred when he was a young man in England 33 years ago.

Thomas, 53, is working without pay, fearing deportation from the U.S. and separation from his family. He was denied a green card based on convictions that were expunged in 1982. Thomas told WND he has documentation to prove his clean record since the 1975 conviction and that he has always been truthful with officials, but he doesn't understand why people who enter the country illegally are allowed to stay when he is facing the citizenship battle of his life.

"They've let 12 million illegals into the country, yet somebody has been doing some good, paying taxes, came in legally and has been married to an American for 27 years and has two American kids, and they're going to kick him out?" Thomas asked. "I told the truth. Nobody called me out on my past. If I had not even owned up to my record, the government would not have been able to find any of it."

Immigration troubles

Thomas said his first conviction happened while he was working on a cruise liner in 1971 when he was only 17. He was charged with being knowingly concerned in the importation of marijuana after his cabin mate saw some in his possession and told authorities he brought it into the country. Thomas said the second incident took place in 1975 when he was 21. Authorities charged him with allowing his premises to be used for the smoking of cannabis when a tenant in his home told authorities Thomas gave him permission to use drugs on the property, though he did not live in the house at the time.

"I came in on a five-year work visa, and I told them about my convictions," he said. "I was very honest and forthright with them all the way from the very beginning."

Thomas said he first sought residency in 1981 after marrying his American wife, but his request was denied.

"I voluntarily left after they denied me residency," he said. "I was told I had to leave, otherwise I'd be deported. So, I left."

(Story continues below)




Pastoring in the U.S.


Thomas became a Christian in 1977, two years after his last marijuana conviction, and served as a senior pastor in England for several years. His wife became homesick in 1990, and he decided to apply for U.S. residency again. The second time, Thomas received a pastor's religious work visa that lasted five years. He accepted a position as a pastor at the 8,000-member Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.

He received a paycheck while his work visa was active, but when it came time for the pastor to apply for a residency visa, also known as a green card, immigration authorities denied his application based on Thomas' disclosure of expunged marijuana convictions in England.

Thomas has asked for an appeal before an immigration judge to plead his case on several occasions, but his requests have fallen on deaf ears since September 2006.

"Finally, after much hassling of congressmen and people saying they'll talk to somebody, I get the notice to appear in December 2007," Thomas said. "The place where it says 'date' and 'time' said 'yet to be fixed.'"

Thomas said he cannot understand why immigration authorities will not set a date for him to appear before an immigration judge, though he speculates it could be a form of religious discrimination against people in the Christian ministry.

"Have you ever been told the government is going to take you to court, and then not give you a court date?" he asked. "It's ludicrous. I just can't believe I am going through this."

Family separation anxiety


Thomas' daughter, Anna, married in May.


Meanwhile, his family lives in a state of flux, constantly wondering if Thomas will be deported.

"It is unbelievable because we're living day in and day out wondering if we are going to be here next month," he said. "Of course, there's always the threat that they could put me in jail. It's just been heartbreaking for us for years now, and I am still being penalized for a mistake I made when I was just a kid."

Thomas said it looks as if the convictions may be held against him for the rest of his life.

"They said my wife and kids can stay here and that it's just me," he said. "I love my wife and kids. The most heartbreaking thing of all is thinking that I may be on another continent where I can't see my grandkids."

The pastor said he would rather face incarceration than allow his wife and kids to continue worrying about what will happen to their family. He is pleading with authorities to make a fair decision on his future.

"Look, if you think I am such a bad character, stick me in prison for a year or two years," he said. "I'd much rather go to prison for a couple of years than have this kind of stress on my family, not knowing where we are going to live the rest of our days."

U.S. deportation of religious leaders

Immigration authorities have also marked a Catholic priest for deportation to Ireland on July 1 after documentation errors left the 58-year-old missionary without paperwork he needed to remain in De Smet, S.D.

Cathal Gallagher arrived in South Dakota from Ireland 10 years ago and has since become a respected figure in his community. Now the state's top elected officials and parishioners are pleading with immigration authorities to reopen his case and allow him to remain in the country, the Argus Leader reported.


Cathal Gallagher


"I wouldn't want to stay in this country if you haven't blessed me with the right to be in this country," Gallagher told his home church in De Smet. "I won't be here as an illegal."

Gallagher served the church for 22 years in Japan before he was a granted a religious visa in 1996 to work with alcohol addicts in Rochester, Minn. He was later invited to work with churches in South Dakota.

"I thought I was going to go back to Japan ... but then I fell in love with De Smet," he said. "It's a very simple way of life, a place where people are important. I never expected to find that in the United States."

Following his application for residency in 2001, Gallagher was informed in 2003 that he would receive his green card. However, it was later denied in February 2006. Lawyers hired by the Catholic Church spent two years fighting to have the decision reversed, but their efforts have been without success.

Authorities said the priest should expect a phone call from Citizenship and Immigration Services before Tuesday, June 17, but Gallagher said he is still waiting for it to come.

i cant see what the problem is to why this pastor cant get his citazenship and due to what he did when he was young the imagration department cant use this against him yes he has had to be honest with the department off imagration and if he did not tell them all they would have is what they know

he is a married man with an american wife and two kids and has worked and payed his taxes


i had no problems applying for my Australian citazenship and i told the department off imagration everything including The crimes i comitted when i was young and the two Jails i served my time i had 4 good character refrences written by my close friends


my spiritual mentor told me when i was applying for my Australian citazenship i should not have been open as i was with department off imagration but i said to her that if i held back they would have done their own leg work and the department off imagration could have refused me and sent me back home to yugoslavia they have done this with others who have played up and comitted seriouse crimes by takng there Australian citazenships off them and sending them back to there countrys they were born in

this happend to an Australian serbian he was a convicted criminal and herroin dealer he did nothing to improve him self he just kept on dealing in herroin and committing crimes to support his habbit he was born hear and has lived hear most off his life he could not speak serbian at all but when the minister for department off imagration got wiff off what he was doing and who he was he tore up his citazenship sent two officers to arrest him and placed him in villawood detention center and deported him

he had no way off surviving in his home land he could not speak his language when he arived in serbia he was begging and found it hard to communicate to his people the only people that helped him out where the police and a hotel his family have taken the department off imagration on this man has had so many warnings by the judges he faced and he refused to rehabiltate him self

so this can happen and you have no leg to stand on if the department off imagration refuses an application

we came to australia in 1971 and i was not even a citazen i only became an Australian citazen on the 2 / 9 / 1992

and there are plenty off people who are not citazens off Australia but live hear work and pay there taxes like me and send money back home to their familys

i feel for the pastor as he is in a difficult situation and i have seen god brake threw the red tape though the catholic priest will get his support from the catholic church and with the close relationship the pope has with George Bush i feel that he will have no problem getting his citazenship


this is very sad and i pray that the pastor does not get deported all we can do is pray that god brakes threw the red tape



god bless from damo

Oh America, I stop praying for you, country of selfindulged hardboiled eggs. Until God sees you all on your knees, Mercy will be withdrawn.

O sister dont curse america because indians thinking america is like heaven for them.luckely some are getting jobs in USA and get thousands of dollars and they tell about america ...is like a heaven on the earth.

NO!

May God continue to have mercy on the United States. Home of people who have bled to give you the freedoms that you enjoy Justice.

For whatever measure you judge others.....GOD will judge you the same. With NO mercy!

I rebuke what you posted in the name of Yeshua! God will have mercy on the United States as long as the believers are still here.

He is showing His mercy to us everyday whether you recognize it or not.



You sound like a Muslim extremist in this post. No joke!

If you can not see that I have honoured your sacrifice, yet you shoved the Mammon down my throat, until I am at the brink now of your Capitalism.
I predicted the fall of Communism for your sake, and you rejoiced when it happened.

I was curious to see what you would do with this new freedom, and all I received back was the blatant export of your greed.
Well look where the Mighty I-DOLLA-to-R is now. On yer knees and turn back to your very foundation. Stop your freaking election circus and wake up to the events! Me a moslim? I have been ringing the bell agaist this Ah-Mad-Man-In-Jihad way before you discovered how precious your land is. I have prayed more for America than most of you.

So now, do NOT come tell me that I am in the wrong camp. For I am ringing the Bell and you did not hear.

i wonder if the pastor who is facing deportation is aware of this group usafis organization ?

this group has been sending me emails asking me if i would be intrested in becomming an American citazen so i did some re search on this group and asked for some more information on who they are as i said you have a lot of iligal imagrants staying in america who would benifit this help why attract people like my self from abroad to come and live and work in America when you have poor people in mexico comming in iligal and who are in real need


this is what it says on their main web page as you open it Green card lottery live and work in the U.S.A. usafis Green card application service

what is the U.S Green card lottery ?


Each year the Diversity lottery Dv program makes 50,000 immigrants visas available through a lottery if you receive a visa through the diveristy visa lottery program you and your family wil be authorized to live and work permanently in the united states


Green card winners will get free airline tickets to the U.S.A.

i told my partner about this and the emails i have been getting from this group so far i have been accepted as a joke i filled in the application and said i am thinking they have even dropped the fee that i have to pay to get the application prosessed which is $30 euros

i told them i am a christian and my partner is a filapino pastor and they said that the manager is willing to answer all our questions

i thought i put this up hear since this pastor is going to face deportation i wonder if any one can reach him and tel him about this group


hear is the web adress www.usafis.org


god bless from damo

Dear damo, I signed up one year, they took $25 dollahs from me, and I keep receiving their ad emails.... but I checked and I never was signed up for the Lottery. I am still mad at the greedy exploitation from these con's.

DO NOT GO THERE!

I HAVE BEEN THERE.

So now, eat the full extend of the greed that is exported throughout the world, once they saw that the world was rid of Communism by God.