Salvation Army Changes Policy after Protests

According to the Sillicon Valley Mercury News.com, the Salvation Army no longer will be asking for a parent's social security number before giving toys to children. According to the article:

Juan Alanis, a spokesman for the Salvation Army's Houston branch, says the charity changed its policy Wednesday following a protest by Hispanic immigrants in Los Angeles. Alanis says the Christian organization never wanted to give the appearance of discrimination based on legal status and decided to not require a social security number to register for its Angel Tree program.

Thank goodness this policy has changed.

Salvation Army defends practice of asking for SSN

"Our work is not to verify immigration status," Juan Alanis, a spokesman for the Salvation Army in the Houston area, said Tuesday. "That's really not something that we're concerned with." So reports the Houston Chronicle. "It's a way to deter families from going to various Salvation Army centers and registering at each one," Alanis said.

This is a dumb policy because the SSN requirement has a disparate impact on undocumented children. There are other ways to prevent fraud without having to use a SSN. The charity could assign client numbers based upon other forms of identification and avoid this whole political mess.

If you want a good look at the seething level of hatred towards undocumented immigrants that some people have, just review the comments to the last two Houston Chronicle articles on this issue. It's scary stuff.

No Toys for You! Houston charities requiring proof of citizenship.

According to the Houston Chronicle, the Salvation Army and a charity affiliated with the Houston Fire Department, are asking for proof of citizenship before they distribute toys to needy children. You can read the full story here.

Because nothing shows the love of Christ like rigid legalism!