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Faith in action
The Catholic Church has a long history with immigration and in "welcoming the stranger." Check the Catholic Outlook for information on what the Holy Father's words about immigrants and refugees, a timeline highlighting the words of past pope's and a story about a visit by Sister Donna Markham, president of Catholic Charities USA, to the international border and her observations from a national perspective. Also learn more about Casa Alitas and the work Catholic Community Services provides for migrants.
♦ Compassion and advocacy: Pope Francis on migration.
♦ Compasión y acción: El papa Francisco y la migración
♦ Charities president calls migrants' suffering 'unimaginable'
♦ Timeline on papal immigration teachings from 1952 to present
♦ Resources on Pope Francis and Migration
Compassion and advocacy: Pope Francis on migration.
Giusi Nicolini, the mayor of Lampedusa, an Italian island about half the size of Globe, AZ., said she hoped that Pope Francis' July 8, 2013, visit there would "change history.""Europe, with its migration policies, has avoided the problem up until now, pretending not to see the immense tragedy of the voyages of hope across the Mediterranean."
The pope, she said, "has made the invisible visible, restoring to the migrants the dignity which countries always have denied them."
Four months later, more than 360 refugees from Africa drowned off Lampedusa's coast.
Pope Francis visited Lampedusa and preached at an outdoor Mass that had all the markings of the Mediterranean Sea surrounding it.
The Catholic News Service reported: "The Mass was filled with reminders that Lampedusa is now synonymous with dangerous attempts to reach Europe: the altar was built over a small boat; the pastoral staff the pope used was carved from wood recycled from a shipwrecked boat; the lectern was made from old wood as well and had a ship's wheel mounted on the front; and even the chalice - although lined with silver - was carved from the wood of a wrecked boat."
The pope began his homily: "Immigrants dying at sea, in boats which were vehicles of hope and became vehicles of death. That is how the headlines put it. When I first heard of this tragedy a few weeks ago, and realized that it happens all too frequently, it has constantly come back to me like a painful thorn in my heart."
"Yet God is asking each of us: 'Where is the blood of your brother which cries out to me?' Today no one in our world feels responsible; we have lost a sense of responsibility for our brothers and sisters."
The pope used the Genesis reading on the death of Abel to remind listeners of God's question to Cain.
"'Where is your brother?' His blood cries out to me, says the Lord. This is not a question directed to others; it is a question directed to me, to you, to each of us. These brothers and sisters of ours were trying to escape difficult situations to find some serenity and peace; they were looking for a better place for themselves and their families, but instead they found death. How often do such people fail to find understanding, fail to find acceptance, fail to find solidarity. And their cry rises up to God!"
He continued:
"Who is responsible for the blood of these brothers and sisters of ours? Nobody! That is our answer: It isn't me; I don't have anything to do with it; it must be someone else, but certainly not me. Yet God is asking each of us: 'Where is the blood of your brother which cries out to me?' Today no one in our world feels responsible; we have lost a sense of responsibility for our brothers and sisters."
Recalling the parable of the Good Samaritan, Pope Francis said that we "have fallen into the hypocrisy of the priest and the Levite…: We see our brother half dead on the side of the road, and perhaps we say to ourselves: 'Poor soul!', and then go on our way.
"It's not our responsibility, and with that we feel reassured, assuaged. The culture of comfort, which makes us think only of ourselves, makes us insensitive to the cries of other people, makes us live in soap bubbles which, however lovely, are insubstantial; they offer a fleeting and empty illusion which results in indifference to others; indeed, it even leads to the globalization of indifference. In this globalized world, we have fallen into globalized indifference. We have become used to the suffering of others: It doesn't affect me; it doesn't concern me; it's none of my business!"
The pope continued to hammer away at this theme of globalized indifference.
"Has any one of us wept because of this situation and others like it? Has any one of us grieved for the death of these brothers and sisters? Has any one of us wept for these persons who were on the boat? For the young mothers carrying their babies? For these men who were looking for a means of supporting their families? We are a society which has forgotten how to weep, how to experience compassion - 'suffering with' - others. The globalization of indifference has taken from us the ability to weep!"
Citing that this attitude as what led him to celebrate a Mass of penance that day, Pope Francis challenged his listeners: "Let us ask the Lord for the grace to weep over our indifference, to weep over the cruelty of our world, of our own hearts, and of all those who in anonymity make social and economic decisions which open the door to tragic situations like this. Has anyone wept? Today has anyone wept in our world?"
The homily at Lampedusa became a benchmark for Pope Francis. It set him on a trajectory in which the plight of migrants and refugees were mentioned dozens of times in documents throughout his papacy. The homily at Lampedusa became one in a series of documents that focused on migrants and refugees, progressing into a comprehensive model for response.
In 2016, he announced the creation of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, along with a special Migrants and Refugees section for which he accepted personal oversight.
In 2017, he spoke at the Sixth International Forum on Migration and Peace, in which he introduced the "four verb" theme - "to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate" - to be used when responding to the migrant and refugee crisis.
Three duties
The pope also talked the root causes of migration and three duties owed to migrants: justice, civility and solidarity.In the matter of justice, Pope Francis called for an outright redistribution of goods, with more resources going to poorer nations from which people were migrating.
"We can no longer sustain unacceptable economic inequality, which prevents us from applying the principle of the universal destination of earth's good," he said. "One group of individuals cannot control half of the world's resources. We cannot allow for persons or entire peoples to have a right only to gather the remaining crumbs."
"Quoting St. John Paul II's 1995 World Migration Day address, Pope Francis said: "'Irregular legal status cannot allow the migrant to lose his dignity, since he is endowed with inalienable rights that can neither be violated nor ignored.'"
On the duty to civility, he cited the United Nation's 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. "Our commitment to migrants, exiles and refugees is an application of those principles and values of welcome and fraternity that constitute a common patrimony of humanity and wisdom.
Quoting St. John Paul II's 1995 World Migration Day address, Pope Francis said "'Irregular legal status cannot allow the migrant to lose his dignity, since he is endowed with inalienable rights that can neither be violated nor ignored.'"
For solidarity, Pope Francis returned to his Lampedusa homily. "In the face of tragedies that take the lives of so many migrants and refugees – conflicts, persecutions, forms of abuse, violence, death – expressions of empathy and compassion cannot help but spontaneously well up."
"A duty to solidarity is to counter the throwaway culture and give greater attention to those who are weakest, poorest and most vulnerable," he said.
Four stages
In 2016, the UN approved the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants in response to the ongoing migrant crisis worldwide. It included a pledge to create global compacts on migration and refugees by the end of 2018, a plan heartily endorsed by Pope Francis.The US initially signed on to the declaration but withdrew under President Donald Trump last year.
In anticipation of the work on the compacts, Pope Francis dedicated the 51st World Day of Peace message, the traditional New Year's Day address, in 2018 to "Migrants and Refugees: Men and Women in Search of Peace."
Through the Migrants and Refugees office, he also issued two key documents, each "Responding to Refugees and Migrants." One offered 20 "pastoral action" plans, while the other offered 20 "for the global compacts."
In the New Year's Day message, Pope Francis began by reminding listeners that there were 250 million migrants in the world, 22.5 million of whom were refugees.
"Welcoming others requires concrete commitment, a network of assistance and goodwill, vigilant and sympathetic attention, the responsible management of new and complex situations that at times compound numerous existing problems, to say nothing of resources, which are always limited. By practicing the virtue of prudence, government leaders should take practical measures to welcome, promote, protect, integrate and, 'within the limits allowed by a correct understanding of the common good, to permit [them] to become part of a new society,'" he said, quoting St. John XXIII's 1963 encyclical Pacem in Terris.
Pope Francis said all migrants and refugees should be treated the same, whether they arrive legally or not. "Most people migrate through regular channels. Some, however, take different routes, mainly out of desperation, when their own countries offer neither safety nor opportunity, and every legal pathway appears impractical, blocked or too slow."
He asked residents and leaders of those countries where migrants and refugees arrive to eschew fear and intolerance.
"Many destination countries have seen the spread of rhetoric decrying the risks posed to national security or the high cost of welcoming new arrivals, and thus demeaning the human dignity due to all as sons and daughters of God. Those who, for what may be political reasons, foment fear of migrants instead of building peace are sowing violence, racial discrimination and xenophobia, which are matters of great concern for all those concerned for the safety of every human being.All indicators available to the international community suggest that global migration will continue for the future. Some consider this a threat. For my part, I ask you to view it with confidence as an opportunity to build peace," he said.
Migrants and refugees "do not arrive empty-handed. They bring their courage, skills, energy and aspirations, as well as the treasures of their own cultures; and in this way, they enrich the lives of the nations that receive them."
Pope Francis specifically mentioned the UN effort on the two global compacts."They need to be inspired by compassion, foresight and courage, so as to take advantage of every opportunity to advance the peace-building process. Only in this way can the realism required of international politics avoid surrendering to cynicism and to the globalization of indifference," he said.
""Every stranger who knocks at our door is an opportunity for an encounter with Jesus Christ, who identifies with the welcomed and rejected strangers of every age"
Thirteen days later, Pope Francis celebrated Mass for 104thWorld Day for Migrants and Refugees. In a message released the previous August, the pope recalled how deeply his visit to Lampedusa influenced him and his pontificate.
"Every stranger who knocks at our door is an opportunity for an encounter with Jesus Christ, who identifies with the welcomed and rejected strangers of every age," Pope Francis wrote. "This is a great responsibility that the church intends to share with all believers and men and women of goodwill, who are called to respond to the many challenges of contemporary migration with generosity, promptness, wisdom and foresight, each according to their own abilities."He reminded readers again of the four verbs – welcome, protect, promote and integrate.
Citing Pope Benedict XVI, Francis said that acknowledging the human dignity inherent in each migrant or refugee "obliges us to always prioritize (their) personal safety over national security."
Again quoting Pope Benedict, Pope Francis called migrants and refugees "a true resource for the communities that welcome them. This is why I hope that in countries of arrival, migrants may be offered freedom of movement, work opportunities and access to means of communication out of respect for their dignity."
Underage minors should never be held in detention and have access to primary and secondary school education. "Equally, when they come of age they must be guaranteed the right to remain and to enjoy the possibility of continuing their studies," the pope wrote.
The pope also stated that migrants and refugees are entitled to social and professional opportunities, "guaranteeing for all - including those seeking asylum - the possibility of employment, language instruction and active citizenship, together with sufficient information provided in their mother tongue."
Migrant and refugee integration must include a path to citizenship "free of financial or linguistic requirements, and by offering the possibility of special legalization to migrants who can claim a long period of residence in the country of arrival," the pope wrote.
"The Church is ready to commit herself to realizing all the initiatives proposed above. Yet in order to achieve the desired outcome, the contribution of political communities and civil societies is indispensable, each according to their own responsibilities."
By Michael Brown
Managing Editor
Compasión y acción: El papa Francisco y la migración.
Giusi Nicolini, alcaldesa de Lampedusa, una pequeña isla italiana que por su extensión es alrededor de la mitad de Globe, Az., dijo que pensaba que la visita del papa Francisco el 8 de julio de 2013 "cambiaría la historia".«Europa, con sus políticas migratorias, ha eludido el problema hasta ahora, como si no viera la inmensa tragedia de los viajes de la esperanza a través del Mediterráneo». El papa, decía ella, «ha hecho visibles a los invisibles, devolviendo a los migrantes la dignidad que los países siempre les han negado».
Cuatro meses después, más de 360 refugiados procedentes de África perecieron ahogados en el mar cerca de la costa de Lampedusa. El papa visitó la isla y celebró una Misa al aire libre donde predicó rodeado de símbolos de las travesías marítimas.
La agencia de noticias Catholic News Service reportó: «En la Misa había varios recordatorios de que Lampedusa hoy es sinónimo de los peligrosos intentos de llegar a Europa: el altar había sido armado sobre un pequeño bote; el báculo pastoral que el papa usó fue tallado en madera de una barca naufragada; el atril, también hecho de madera de una nave, tenía al frente el timón de un barco; y hasta el cáliz –si bien el interior estaba recubierto de plata– estaba hecho con madera de un naufragio».
El papa comenzó su homilía así: «Inmigrantes muertos en el mar, por esas barcas que, en lugar de haber sido una vía de esperanza, han sido una vía de muerte. Así decía el titular del periódico. Desde que, hace algunas semanas, supe esta noticia, desgraciadamente tantas veces repetida, mi pensamiento ha vuelto sobre ella continuamente, como a una espina en el corazón que causa dolor».
¿Dónde está la sangre de tu hermano cuyo grito llega hasta mí? Hoy nadie en el mundo se siente responsable de esto; hemos perdido el sentido de la responsabilidad fraterna.»
El papa usó la lectura del Génesis sobre la muerte de Abel para recordar a los escuchas la pregunta que Dios le hizo a Caín: «"¿Dónde está tu hermano?" La voz de su sangre grita hasta mí, dice Dios. Ésta no es una pregunta dirigida a otros, es una pregunta dirigida a mí, a ti, a cada uno de nosotros. Esos hermanos y hermanas nuestras intentaban salir de situaciones difíciles para encontrar un poco de serenidad y de paz; buscaban un puesto mejor para ellos y para sus familias, pero han encontrado la muerte. ¡Cuántas veces quienes buscan estas cosas no encuentran comprensión, no encuentran acogida, no encuentran solidaridad! ¡Y sus voces llegan hasta Dios!».
Y continuó: «¿Quién es responsable de la sangre de estos hermanos y hermanas nuestras? ¡Ninguno! Todos respondemos igual: no he sido yo, yo no tengo nada que ver, serán otros ciertamente, yo no. Pero Dios pregunta a cada uno de nosotros: "¿Dónde está la sangre de tu hermano cuyo grito llega hasta mí?"».
«Hoy nadie en el mundo se siente responsable de esto; hemos perdido el sentido de la responsabilidad fraterna; hemos caído en la actitud hipócrita del sacerdote y el servidor del altar, de los que hablaba Jesús en la parábola del Buen Samaritano: vemos al hermano medio muerto al borde del camino, quizás pensamos "pobrecito", y seguimos nuestro camino».
«No nos compete y con eso nos quedamos tranquilos, nos sentimos en paz. La cultura del bienestar, que nos lleva a pensar en nosotros mismos, nos hace insensibles al grito de los otros, nos hace vivir en pompas de jabón, que son bonitas, pero no son nada, son la ilusión de lo fútil, de lo provisional, que lleva a la indiferencia hacia los otros, o mejor, lleva a la globalización de la indiferencia. En este mundo de la globalización, hemos caído en la globalización de la indiferencia. ¡Nos hemos acostumbrado al sufrimiento del otro: no tiene que ver con nosotros, no nos importa, no nos concierne!».
Y el papa insistió en el tema de la globalización de la indiferencia. «¿Quién de nosotros ha llorado por este hecho y por hechos como éste? ¿Quién ha llorado por la muerte de estos hermanos y hermanas? ¿Quién ha llorado por esas personas que iban en la barca? ¿Por las madres jóvenes que llevaban a sus hijos? ¿Por esos hombres que deseaban algo para mantener a sus propias familias? Somos una sociedad que ha olvidado la experiencia de llorar, de "sufrir con": ¡la globalización de la indiferencia nos ha quitado la capacidad de llorar!»Diciendo que esta actitud es lo que lo llevó a celebrar una liturgia de penitencia ese día, el papa Francisco instó a sus escuchas: «Pidamos al Señor la gracia de llorar por nuestra indiferencia, de llorar por la crueldad que hay en el mundo, en nosotros, también en aquellos que en el anonimato toman decisiones socioeconómicas que hacen posibles dramas como éste. "¿Quién ha llorado?", "¿Quién ha llorado hoy en el mundo?"».
La homilía de Lampedusa se convirtió en un punto de referencia para el papa Francisco. Lo colocó en una trayectoria en la cual el drama de los migrantes y los refugiados se ha mencionado decenas de veces en los documentos de su pontificado. La homilía de Lampedusa ha sido uno de una serie de documentos enfocados en los migrantes y los refugiados que fue generando el modelo para la respuesta.
En 2016, el papa anunció la creación del Dicasterio para el Servicio del Desarrollo Humano Integral, con una sección especial para los migrantes y los refugiados, bajo su supervisión.
En 2017, ante el VI Foro Internacional sobre Migraciones y Paz, presentó una respuesta a la crisis de migrantes y refugiados que estaría articulada en cuatro verbos –acoger, proteger, promover e integrar.
Tres deberes
El papa habló sobre las raíces de la migración y sobre tres deberes para con los migrantes: justicia, civilidad y solidaridad. En cuanto a la justicia, el papa hizo un llamado a la redistribución directa de los bienes, para que las naciones más pobres, de donde la gente emigra, reciban más recursos.«Ya no son sostenibles las inaceptables desigualdades económicas que impiden poner en práctica el principio del destino universal de los bienes de la tierra», dijo. «Un pequeño grupo de individuos no puede controlar la mitad de los recursos mundiales. Pueblos enteros y personas no pueden tener solamente el derecho de recoger las migajas».
Hablando sobre el deber de la civilidad, mencionó la Declaración Universal de Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas de 1948. «Nuestro compromiso a favor de los migrantes, los refugiados y las personas desplazadas es una aplicación de los principios y valores de la hospitalidad y la fraternidad que constituyen un patrimonio común de humanidad y sabiduría».
Citando el mensaje de San Juan Pablo II para la Jornada Mundial de las Migraciones de 1995, el papa Francisco dijo: «la condición de irregularidad legal no permite menoscabar la dignidad del emigrante, el cual tiene derechos inalienables, que no pueden violarse ni desconocerse».
Para el principio de solidaridad el papa volvió a su homilía de Lampedusa. «Frente a las tragedias que "marcan con fuego" la vida de muchos inmigrantes y refugiados –guerras, persecuciones, abusos, violencia y muerte– no pueden menos que brotar sentimientos espontáneos de empatía y compasión. Es deber de solidaridad combatir la cultura del descarte y conceder más atención a los débiles, los pobres y los vulnerables», dijo.
Cuatro piedras angulares
En 2016 la ONU aprobó la Declaración de Nueva York para los Refugiados y los Migrantes en respuesta a la continua crisis de migración que se vive en todo el mundo. Ésta incluía un compromiso de crear cuatro pactos mundiales sobre la migración y los refugiados para fines de 2018, un plan que cuenta con el respaldo pleno del papa Francisco.
Estados Unidos inicialmente firmó la declaración, pero el año pasado, bajo el presidente Donald Trump, se retiró del plan.
Citando el mensaje de San Juan Pablo II , el papa Francisco dijo: «la condición de irregularidad legal no permite menoscabar la dignidad del emigrante, el cual tiene derechos inalienables, que no pueden violarse ni desconocerse»
En anticipación al desarrollo de los pactos, el papa dedicó el mensaje de la 51a Jornada Mundial de la Paz en 2018 a: "Migrantes y refugiados: hombres y mujeres que buscan la paz". Además, mediante la oficina para migrantes y refugiados, emitió dos documentos. En uno de ellos presentó 20 planes de acción pastoral, y en el otro, 20 para los pactos universales.
En su mensaje del día de Año Nuevo, el papa Francisco comenzó recordándoles a los escuchas que había 250 millones de migrantes en el mundo; 22,5 millones de ellos, refugiados.
«Acoger al otro exige un compromiso concreto, una cadena de ayuda y de generosidad, una atención vigilante y comprensiva, la gestión responsable de nuevas y complejas situaciones que, en ocasiones, se añaden a los numerosos problemas ya existentes, así como a unos recursos que siempre son limitados. El ejercicio de la virtud de la prudencia es necesario para que los gobernantes sepan acoger, promover, proteger e integrar, estableciendo medidas prácticas que "respetando el correcto orden de los valores, ofrezcan al ciudadano la oportunidad de ser parte de la nueva sociedad", dijo, citando la encíclica Pacem in Terris de San Juan XXIII, de 1963.
El papa Francisco dijo que todos los migrantes y refugiados deben ser tratados de la misma manera, ya sea que lleguen por conducto legal o no. «La mayoría emigra siguiendo un procedimiento regulado, mientras que otros se ven forzados a tomar otras vías sobre todo a causa de la desesperación, cuando su patria no les ofrece seguridad y oportunidades, y toda vía legal parece imposible, bloqueada o demasiado lenta».
Les pidió a los residentes y líderes de los países adonde llegan migrantes y refugiados que eviten el temor y la intolerancia.
«En muchos países de destino se ha difundido ampliamente una retórica que enfatiza los riesgos para la seguridad nacional o el coste de la acogida de los que llegan, despreciando así la dignidad humana que se les ha de reconocer a todos, en cuanto que son hijos e hijas de Dios. Los que fomentan el miedo hacia los migrantes, en ocasiones con fines políticos, en lugar de construir la paz, siembran violencia, discriminación racial y xenofobia, que son fuente de gran preocupación para todos aquellos que se toman en serio la protección de cada ser humano. Todos los datos de que dispone la comunidad internacional indican que las migraciones globales seguirán marcando nuestro futuro. Algunos las consideran una amenaza. Los invito, al contrario, a contemplarlas con un mirada llena de confianza, como una oportunidad para construir un futuro de paz», dijo.
«Los migrantes y refugiados "no llegan con las manos vacías: traen consigo la riqueza de su valentía, su capacidad, sus energías y sus aspiraciones, y por supuesto los tesoros de su propia cultura, enriqueciendo así la vida de las naciones que los acogen"».
El papa Francisco mencionó específicamente los dos pactos internaciones de la ONU. «Es importante que estén inspirados por la compasión, la visión de futuro y la valentía, con el fin de aprovechar cualquier ocasión que permita avanzar en la construcción de la paz. Solo así, el necesario realismo de la política internacional no se verá derrotado por el cinismo y la globalización de la indiferencia», dijo.
Cada forastero que llama a nuestra puerta es una ocasión de encuentro con Jesucristo, que se identifica con el extranjero acogido o rechazado en cualquier época de la historia»
Trece días después, el papa Francisco celebró Misa para la 104a Jornada Mundial del Migrante y del Refugiado. En un mensaje difundido anticipadamente en agosto, el papa recordó el profundo efecto que su visita a Lampedusa había tenido en él y en su pontificado.
«Cada forastero que llama a nuestra puerta es una ocasión de encuentro con Jesucristo, que se identifica con el extranjero acogido o rechazado en cualquier época de la historia», escribió el papa. «Es una gran responsabilidad que la Iglesia quiere compartir con todos los creyentes y con todos los hombres y mujeres de buena voluntad, que están llamados a responder con generosidad, diligencia, sabiduría y amplitud de miras, cada uno según sus posibilidades».
Volvió a recordar a los lectores los cuatro verbos: acoger, proteger, promover e integrar. Citando al papa Benedicto XVI, Francisco dijo que reconocer la dignidad humana inherente en cada migrante y refugiado «nos obliga a priorizar siempre su seguridad personal por encima de la seguridad nacional" y, nuevamente citando a Benedicto, el papa hizo referencia a migrantes y refugiados como "un verdadero recurso para las comunidades que los acogen. Por tanto, espero que, en el respeto a su dignidad, les sea concedida la libertad de movimiento en los países de acogida, la posibilidad de trabajar y el acceso a medios de telecomunicación».En cuanto a los menores, «es preciso evitarles cualquier forma de detención y asegurarles el acceso regular a la educación primaria y secundaria. Igualmente, es necesario garantizarles la permanencia regular al cumplir la mayoría de edad y la posibilidad de continuar sus estudios», escribió el papa.
El papa también señaló que los migrantes y refugiados tienen derecho a la inserción socio-laboral, «garantizando a todos, incluidos los que solicitan asilo, la posibilidad de trabajar, cursos formativos lingüísticos y de ciudadanía activa, como también una información adecuada en sus propias lenguas».
La integración de migrantes y refugiados debe incluir el ofrecimiento de la ciudadanía «desligada de los requisitos económicos y lingüísticos y de vías de regularización extraordinaria a los emigrantes que puedan demostrar una larga permanencia en el país», continuó el papa.
«La Iglesia está dispuesta a comprometerse en primera persona para que se lleven a cabo todas las iniciativas que se han propuesto más arriba. Sin embargo, para obtener los resultados esperados es imprescindible la contribución de la comunidad política y de la sociedad civil, cada uno según sus propias responsabilidades».
Por Michael Brown
Director Editorial
Catholic Charities president calls migrants' suffering 'unimaginable'
A visit to the international border reveals families in pain and resilience
"The suffering they are going through is unimaginable," said Dominican Sister Donna Markham, president of Catholic Charities USA, after listening to stories from families waiting to apply for asylum at the international border at Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.
Sister Markham, who recently completed a tour of a detention facility for children in McAllen, Texas, said she wanted to visit Nogales to get the whole story behind the current public debate over immigration.
"Their stories," she said, pausing to compose herself. "They are running for their lives. Literally, they left at gunpoint."
She was joined July 11 at the Nogales Port of Entry by Jesuit Father Sean Carroll, executive director of the Kino Border Initiative, and organization that assists mostly families who have been sent back to Mexico following deportation proceedings. With the large influx of refugees seeking to enter the US, Father Carroll, along with other religious-based and nonprofit agencies in Nogales, AZ., have set up temporary shelters and a check-in system for families seeking to enter the US and to apply for asylum.
Were it not for those shelters, families would have to wait in line at the port of entry in the humidity and 100+ degree heat for about two weeks, said Father Carroll.
The first family Sister Markham met included 11 members, four of whom were young children. They left the Mexican state of Guerrero, one of the poorest and least safe areas in the country.
Father Carroll translated their story, explaining how their lives had been threatened by a local political party during the recent presidential election. At the border, their biggest fear is that the father and uncle would be detained, the children taken from them, and the women deported. Knowing that risk, they waited anyway because "they were threatened with death," in the hometown Sister Markham said.
While such conditions might easily fall into the classic example of political asylum, Peg Harmon, executive director of Catholic Community Services in the Diocese of Tucson and who has served as a CCUSA board member, acknowledged that under the current vetting system, there were no guarantees.
Another family – two women and two young children – also spoke to Sister Markham. One woman held a young girl who appeared to be no older that nine, crying inconsolably, close to her. The mother, also from Guerrero, spoke of her husband being taken and her daughter's life threatened. She was with another woman, with a son about same age. They had tried to cross into the US in January but were stopped and deported in February. Under current US policy, they would not be eligible to enter the country because of the previous attempt, but have no other place to go.
"Their stories," Sister Markham said, pausing to compose herself. "They are running for their lives. Literally, they left at gunpoint?"
Sister Maria Engracia Robles Robles, a Missionary Sister of the Eucharist, works at a comedor – a combined soup kitchen and food pantry – run by KBI in Nogales, Sonora. As she listened to the families' stories, she used her cell phone to put their names on the list of applicants waiting to file for asylum.
Several people passing the families as they entered the US from Mexico offered them candy and money. Local charities also supplied blankets and water bottles, kept in large coolers, at the border station.
Following her meeting with the families, Sister Markham said there were two things she hoped to accomplish when she returns to national headquarters outside Washington.
"We need to call all believers to prayer, and we have to educate people who don't have the opportunity to come here," she said.
Sister Markham said that visiting Nogales was a completely different experience from her trip to visit the juveniles held in Texas. In McAllen, "they are already going through the process; there the process is very slow."
"Here, it is very painful to hear the stories, to know how people have suffered to get this far, especially the children," she said. "It's emotionally overwhelming. It's more painful than I imagined."
The next day, Sister Markham was joined by Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger at Casa Alitas, a family shelter run by CCS in Tucson. Casa Alitas receives families in transition from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, after being processed from the border and immigration court.
Early on July 12, there were two families preparing to leave Casa Alitas and another four being placed there. When the bishop and Sister Markham arrived, Olga, a Honduran refugee, was preparing to leave with her two children to board a bus for a three-day trip to stay with family in Baltimore.A few hours later, Valentia, a Mexican native, was leaving with her two children for her own cross-country trip to a community in New Jersey.
The Casa staff expected three families from Brazil and one from Mexico to come from ICE by mid- morning .
"Our goal is to do everything we can to see that these families are treated with dignity."
Sister Markham visited the home the night before and had a chance to spend some time with the departing families. During her morning visit, she gave hugs and smiles to the familiar faces, and later, interviews with local media who arrived to document the visit.
"Our goal is to do everything we can to see that these families are treated with dignity," she told one reporter.
A glance around the now crowded living area revealed weary women and children, some of whom looked ready for a nap. Some needed clothing, which was available from a supply room. The smell of a hot breakfast begins to waft out of the kitchen where signs and wipe boards and children's drawings create a homey atmosphere.
Bishop Weisenburger noted that "20 percent of the Gospels is about taking care of the poor and needy."Taking care of immigrants and refugees is important for those who want "to really live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to call ourselves Christian."
As she began to describe her experience from the day before, Sister Markham again paused to fight back tears after talking about "the babies sitting at the border in the heat."
"I have a big heart," she explained, smiling again.
"20 percent of the Gospels is about taking care of the poor and needy", Bishop Weisenburger noted, "Taking care of immigrants and refugees is important for those who want 'to really live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to call ourselves Christian.'"
The van carrying the new arrivals from ICE came early and new families entered the home. Although most of the staff speaks Spanish, none speak Portuguese, so staff calls a contracted interpreter service to translate for the newcomers' information about where they are and what to expect.
The families also learned about the special visitors there that day.
Staff learned that none of the families knew where they were going when they were boarding the van from their previous detention center. All the adults had ankle bracelets equipped with GPS locating ability to help ICE track their locations. One family had another member held in detention but didn't know the person's status or location. All the members of the Brazilian families had passports, which they were able to retain.
Diego Peña Lopez is the site manager for the house. He helps the families get settled and assists in the initial intake form, which includes information about extended family and contact numbers for reuniting them with the newly arrived and those still housed in detention centers elsewhere.
The information he gleans from the temporary residents includes medical conditions that need attention and other special needs.
Once the intake forms are completed, the families are directed to call loved ones to let them know they are safe. For those who are fleeing domestic violence, it's important to let their next point of contact know that they are safe and to arrange travel plans, he said.
Language is more of a problem, he said, because ICE issues all their documents in English, and even the bus tickets are in English and difficult to read. Volunteers who drive the families to the station explain how the ticket works and highlights when they need to transfer to a different bus.
Before leaving to catch her flight back east, Sister Markham showered praise upon the more than half dozen workers and volunteers gathered at Casa Alitas as the new families arrived. "I am just amazed at the staff and the level of attention they give to the families here."
By Michael Brown
Managing Editor
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The documents mentioned in the story can be.
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