Mormons initiated protection on aliens

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The Mormon church arranged for a Utah senator to write a law to shield churches from prosecution for knowingly allowing illegal aliens to be ministers or do volunteer missionary work for them.

Kim Farah, a spokeswoman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, released a statement saying the church asked Sen. Robert F. Bennett, Utah Republican, to sponsor the provision, which she called a "narrow exception to the immigration act."

"The law permits churches to use the volunteer services of their undocumented members by insulating the churches from criminal sanctions for doing so," she said.

She said she would not answer any further questions, including why the church needs access to illegal alien volunteers.

But now the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says it wants to revisit the provision and Rep. Tom Tancredo, Colorado Republican, has introduced a bill to repeal the exception.

"It removes an important legal tool for law enforcement and at the same time allows groups that would do us harm to legally conceal and transport people whom they know are in the United States illegally," Mr. Tancredo said in a letter asking Mr. Bennett to undo the measure.

His office has identified several examples of mosques and Muslim-related charities that have had illegal aliens as their leaders, including a mosque in California with two leaders who had stayed past the expiration of their visas. The men were both being investigated for potential ties to terrorism, but were deported on immigration charges.

Mr. Bennett is the chairman of the Appropriations Committee's agriculture subcommittee, and he added the section, which applies to any religious denomination or its affiliates, to the final agriculture spending bill. That bill passed both houses overwhelmingly and was signed into law Nov. 10.

Mary Jane Collipriest, Mr. Bennett's spokeswoman, said Mr. Tancredo is misinterpreting the law because it doesn't affect illegal aliens' status and does not shield them from being caught and deported. Volunteers can get room, board and other living expenses, but not a regular income.

She said the law "clarifies that a religious organization will not be in violation of federal immigration law should an undocumented alien, who is already in the United States, perform only volunteer ministry or missionary work for that religious organization."