(Pro-Immigrant Rally, Sioux Center - Community First Broadcasting Staff Photo)Sioux Center, Iowa (Sioux County Radio) — A gathering in Sioux Center on Saturday will combine worship and prayer with a call for immigration reform and opportunities to help local immigrant families.
The “Rally for Human Dignity” is scheduled for Saturday, September 12th, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Central Park bandshell. Organizers have reserved the space until noon.
Maria Magdalena Reformed Church is partnering with other churches and local leaders for the event. Co-pastor Jason Lief says the rally builds on a well-attended prayer event for immigrants held last year.
Faith and Immigration Reform
The program will include worship, prayer, and remarks from local pastors and leaders. Lief says caring for immigrants is part of the church’s calling, and he hopes the gathering encourages people to consider how they can put that responsibility into practice.
He describes the rally as nonpartisan.
One focus will be the Dignity Act — also known as the DIGNIDAD Act or H.R. 4393 — a bipartisan immigration proposal led by Republican U.S. Representative María Elvira Salazar of Florida and Democratic U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar of Texas. The bill combines border security and asylum-system changes with opportunities for qualifying undocumented immigrants to obtain legal status.
The proposal’s Dignity Program would establish a seven-year process for undocumented immigrants who have lived continuously in the U.S. since December 31st, 2020. Participants would undergo background checks, pay taxes, maintain health coverage, and pay $7,000 in restitution over seven years. Those who complete the program could apply for a renewable legal status every seven years — not a direct pathway to citizenship.
National Immigration Forum Bill Summary
The legislation also includes expanded border infrastructure, changes intended to speed asylum processing, and mandatory employment eligibility verification through E-Verify. Participants in the Dignity Program would also pay a 1% levy on earnings.
Salazar’s Dignity Act Overview
Lief acknowledges the legislation involves compromises. He says part of the rally’s purpose is to encourage attendees to ask U.S. Representative Randy Feenstra to consider co-sponsoring it.
Opportunities to Help Locally
Beyond federal legislation, attendees can learn ways to support community members directly. Opportunities include providing diapers and supporting a legal clinic Maria Magdalena has started to help people navigate immigration pathways.
Food is also expected to be available for purchase through a participating church.
Maria Magdalena is a bilingual, multiethnic congregation whose mission emphasizes breaking down divisions and sharing the gospel through multilingual worship. Its vision includes seeking the flourishing of both its members and the broader community.
Along with his pastoral role, Lief is a professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Northwestern College and works part-time as an immigration mobilizer for the National Immigration Forum.
Lief says people do not need to share the same political views or attend church to participate.
