LDS Church Branch President Felix Callejas And Immediate Family Arrested By ICE As Illegal Immigrants In Draper, Utah

Update June 13th: Felix Callejas and family departed the United States for El Salvador on June 13th.

This story has just been reported on August 29th, 2011 by KSL Channel 5, and full details are still forthcoming, but a branch president over a congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Draper, Utah has been arrested for immigration violation, along with his entire immediate family. The Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News have now picked up the story.

While KSL specifically reports that Felix Joaquin Callejas-Hernandez and his wife Luca Margarita Castillo de Callejas were arrested by ICE, the photo gallery accompanying the story shows their two adult children, Margarita Concepcion Callejas-Castillo and Jose Moroni Callejas-Castillo. Felix Castellas was the president of a Spanish-speaking branch of the Church located in Draper. He and his family were reportedly taken into custody by ICE agents at their Draper home on April 19th. The Tribune reports that Callejas is still on an ICE hold in their facility in Spanish Fork, but his wife and two children were booked and released. Callejas is from El Salvador. KSL news video embedded below:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

In checking the Mormon.org meetinghouse locator, I found that out of four different stakes in Draper, only one of them, the Draper Utah Eastridge Stake, contained a Spanish-speaking branch. That branch is identified as the Eastridge 9th Spanish Branch.

An interesting sidelight: On February 6th, 2011, the Salt Lake Tribune published an article entitled "Lawmakers’ talk of reform rattles undocumented SLC worker" which focused on the experiences of an illegal immigrant identified only as "Jorge" who was also an LDS branch president somewhere in the Salt Lake Valley. However, this individual has four kids and came from Mexico, so it's not Felix Callejas.

Self-appointed local Latino activist Tony Yapias, director of Projecto Latino de Utah and also an LDS member, said that Callejas had sought asylum through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services but had been denied. He also claims members of Callejas' branch are "devastated" by the news. The LDS Church haf not yet officially reacted to this story, but in their most recent pronouncement on immigration, they said that the Church’s position is based on three basic principles:

1. The commandment to love thy neighbor.
2. The importance of keeping families intact.
3. The federal government’s obligation to secure its borders.

The Church also stated that they do not favor establishing a path to citizenship for or granting amnesty to illegals, although in the same statement, they expressed support for allowing illegal immigrants to work legally, a position which is creating confusion among some people. Later, LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter issued the following statement: "This case reminds us all of the need to address immigration reform. As we have stated, we believe any solution should include the following three principles: the commandment to 'love thy neighbor,' the importance of keeping families intact and the federal government’s obligation to secure its border."

Because the Church tends to look upon illegal immigration as a civil trespass rather than a criminal violation, the Church is unlikely to take action against Felix Callejas' membership -- unless ICE determines that Callejas also used his position as branch president to facilitate illegal immigration by others. This means that Callejas won't be excommunicated, and is unlikely to be disfellowshipped. It's also possible that Callejas might appeal ICE's decision and be allowed to stay in the country, particularly if he could show that deportation to El Salvador would expose him to political persecution or danger from criminal gangs such as MS-13.

A commenter to the Deseret News story provides some more information on Callejas:

Brer Rabbit | 9:02 p.m. April 29, 2011 Spanish Fork, UT:
This man was a custodian at a Draper Charter School. Charter schools are taxpayer funded. I wonder who was in charge of doing the background check on him. In public schools, not only teachers undergo a background check, but so do other full time personnel such as custodians and bus drivers. Most good background checks would have picked up this illegal status. A background check that didn't find this must have been very sloppy.

When I worked for the Jordan School District they did checks on employees that had worked for years for the district. They picked up on several that had been arrested for DUI and other offenses. If an illegal alien could pass a background check for this charter school, so could any pedophile, and other serious criminals. I am not saying that this illegal alien is a dangerous criminal, but I am saying that a poor background check was done

If this illegal alien was hired after July 1,2009 it means that this charter school was not using E-Verify as required by Utah Law 63G-11-103

Nevada LDS Congressman Dean Heller To Be Elevated To U.S. Senate, But Decision Complicated By Redistricting Wrangling And Special Election Costs

Although the total number of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 112th U.S. Congress will remain constant at 15 for the time being, the alignment between the two houses of Congress is about to change. Instead of 10 Representatives and five Senators, it will become nine Representatives and six Senators.

Nevada Republican Governor Brian Sandoval has announced his decision to select LDS Republican Congressman Dean Heller, who represents the Second Congressional District dominated by Las Vegas, to replace outgoing Republican Senator John Ensign, who announced his resignation effective May 3rd as a result of continuing fallout over an affair with the wife of a top aide, which triggered an ethics investigation. Gov. Sandoval cited Heller's experience in Congress as a major asset, saying that Nevada must be represented in the Senate by an individual who can begin work immediately rather than expend time getting up to speed.

Gov. Sandoval's full statement was posted on Politico. In part, this was his explanation for the decision:

“A fiscal conservative who believes in limited government, Dean will fight to keep taxes low and balance the federal budget. He understands that the federal government spends too much money and places too many regulatory burdens on small business. Just as Senator John Ensign fought for states’ rights and sound economic policies, Dean will speak out for the concerns of every-day Nevadans. I am confident he will help get Nevada working again.

“Dean Heller is a compassionate man of deep personal integrity, with a down-to-earth approach to public service. I have no doubt Dean will serve Nevada in the Senate for many years, and I look forward to working with him on behalf of the state we both love so much.

Since Democratic Senator Harry Reid is also LDS, this means both of Nevada's U.S. Senators will be Mormons, a distinction shared only by Utah.

But despite Heller's integrity, experience, and the fact that his fiscal conservatism is in line with what America needs right now, there is a downside. Because Gov. Sandoval is not allowed to appoint Heller's replacement in the U.S. House, a special election within 180 days is required to replace him. But the special election to replace Heller could cost Nevada hundreds of thousands of dollars, which could have been avoided had the governor named someone else as an interim senator to be in place just until the next election in 2012. Also complicating the issue is sparring over re-districting, necessitated by the fact that Nevada picked up a fourth U.S. House seat as a result of the 2010 census; already, two lawsuits have been filed over proposed new district boundaries. So it's unclear if the current Congressional district lines would be used.

Possible successors to Heller include Nevada State Sen. Greg Brower (R-Reno), former Assemblywoman Sharron Angle, and retired Navy officer Kirk Lippold, former commander of the USS Cole. Lieutenant Gov. Brian Krolicki and former state Sen. Mark Amodei are also considering entering the race. The Las Vegas Review-Journal cites an insiders poll which indicates that Krolicki could be the favorite. But if it looks like Sharron Angle can't gain traction as a Republican, she could run as an independent. None of these individuals are known to be LDS members.

Good luck, Nevada.

Spenard LDS Chapel Among Six Churches Burglarized In Anchorage, Alaska; Teenage Burglar Caught

A chapel belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was among five churches burglarized in Anchorage, Alaska, and the teenage burglar was arrested shortly after he attempted to burglarize one of them a second time. Media stories from the Anchorage Daily News, KTVA Channel 11, and KTUU Channel 2. KTUU news video embedded below:

 


KTVA news video embedded below:



The targeted churches were concentrated in the Spenard and southwest Anchorage areas. The first burglary took place on April 11th, 2011 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church at 3900 Wisconsin St. Police say the burglar got in through a window and took as much as $300 in collections. Other area churches hit include the LDS chapel on 3340 W. 40th St., Faith Christian Community, Jewel Lake United Methodist, St. Benedict Lumen Christi, and Sand Lake Baptist Church. According to APD spokesperson Marlene Lammers, there weren’t any signs of vandalism against the churches beyond damage to the entry points.

However, on April 27th, the burglar got greedy and decided to go back to Faith Community Church, according to KTUU. Wrong move -- a church employee was watching, spotted him, and notified the Anchorage Police Department. APD responded and took a 17-year-old boy into custody, confiscating a hammer, crowbar and marijuana. The boy has been charged with five counts of second-degree burglary, as well as one count each of misconduct involving a controlled substance, possession of burglary tools, third-degree criminal mischief and third-degree theft. He is being held at McLaughlin Youth Center. Because he's a juvenile, his name has not been released.

At least the 17-year-old wasn't fussy about denominations. Of course, when you're supporting a marijuana habit, you're probably not too fussy about how you pay for it.

Annapolis Newspaper Reporter Visits LDS Service At The Annapolis Ward In Maryland

Those of us who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have an extra incentive to be on our best behavior and to fellowship investigators who attend our Sunday services. The next unfamiliar investigator who walks through the doors may be more than just an "investigator"; that person may actually be a local reporter doing a story. It happened recently in Annapolis, Maryland.

Anne Arundel County in Maryland has about 260 churches representing more than 40 Christian denominations, plus a handful of synagogues and mosques. An estimated 42 percent of the county's 520,000 residents are adherents who attend services. So the local newspaper, The Capital, decided to send reporters to take in the services at local churches. Among their selections; a typical Sunday service at the LDS chapel in Annapolis. They did not initially specify which ward they visited; the chapel hosts three separate congregations, to include the Annapolis Ward, the Broadneck Ward, and the Spa Creek Spanish-speaking Branch. All are part of the Annapolis Maryland Stake, which oversees 12 congregations.

Most likely they visited the service conducted by the Annapolis Ward, since it's later mentioned by name, and it appears that from the account given, the reporter may not have stayed for the entire three-hour block, but attended only the sacrament meeting portion. That is permissible; a person is not required to remain for the entire three hours. If one wants to go to church primarily to worship the Lord, then attending sacrament meeting alone will satisfy them. The other meetings are intended to convey much more detailed knowledge and understanding of the Gospel, as well as promote what is sometimes referred to as "kingdom-building".

The reporter writes a fair and balanced account of his visit to the services. As a personal touch, he adds the story of Greg Hall, who converted to the Church at the age of 22 when he met and married a Mormon woman. He laments the fact that his five grown sons are no longer with the Church, which simply means that despite the best efforts of LDS parents, the kids can and will go separate ways when they go our on their own. The segment about the LDS Church visit begins after the jump: