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GREENSBORO — Mauricio Castro remembers the teenage boy whose immigration from Mexico to North Carolina included a paid "coyote" who led his family past border agents.

After staying in a "safe house" full of rats, the boy's family arrived in El Paso, Texas, with cuts and feet covered with blisters — all prompted by his father losing his farming job after the passage of NAFTA. The boy, now living near Raleigh, wants to be an engineer.

"We don't see what's going on in their lives there and what pushed them out of their communities," said Castro, an organizer with the Durham-based N.C. Latino Coalition, on Tuesday during the N.C. Council of Churches' 2008 Critical Issues Seminar at Greensboro College.

"It basically choked them, and they didn't have another way," Castro said. "I think that when we get educated about the realities of what the immigrant community is going through, and I'm talking in general because we as Latinos are not the only immigrants, we can change assumptions and perceptions that are not true and help cause such hostility."

The statewide conference brought nearly 300 people of faith together for conversations about immigration from a theological perspective.

The theme, "From Hostility to Hospitality: Immigration and People of Faith," included topics such as biblical teaching on immigrants, legal issues and immigration reform. Workshops included, "Why Do They Come? Globalization and Immigration" and "Politics — Can you be Elected Without Bashing 'Illegals'?"

"It's easy to talk about generalities and to get into arguments," said Judy Schlegel, a participant from Durham. "When you get to individual stories, it's a different story."

They shared stories about both undocumented immigrants and those simply suspected of being here illegally just because of how they look or speak. One participant from the eastern part of the state spoke of local law enforcement checkpoints outside Catholic Masses held in Spanish and even flea markets frequented by Latinos.

A discussion about legal issues, such as racial profiling and Homeland Security's Policy 287(g), which allows local law enforcement agencies to detain people suspected of being illegal immigrants, drew one of the largest crowds.

Only a few law enforcement agencies have the written agreements and training required by Homeland Security — but others are acting as if they do, said Katy Parker, legal director of the ACLU of North Carolina.

"The sheriffs are saying we are getting the criminals, not the hardworking people trying to feed their families," Parker said. "But if you look at the hard numbers, that's not bearing that out."

According to available data, she said, more than half the people arrested under the Homeland Security policy were taken in for traffic violations such as driving without a license and speeding.

"What we are thinking about is some way to document racial profiling, but racial profiling cases are very difficult to bring to court," Parker said. "The community needs to get behind these issues and be vocal."

Those issues would also include substandard housing that some can't complain about because the landlord might threaten to have them deported, said Sister Joan Jurski of the Office of Peace and Justice for the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh, another presenter.

"A person who comes here as an immigrant doesn't have power, but we do," Jurski said.

Jurski passed out information for participants to take back to their churches or agencies to help educate undocumented workers. That included the wallet-sized cards in Spanish and English listing their rights if stopped by the police.

Immigration is a complex issue, Jurski said, but people should consider the human aspect.

"Just remember," she said, "that we all share the same breath of God."

Contact Nancy H. McLaughlin at 373-7049 or nancy. mclaughlin@news-record.com