By Sister Anne Marie Gardiner, SSND
National news repeatedly depicts arrests, detentions and deportations of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers in various parts of the U.S.
Activities of ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) include making arrests without any due process or judicial warrant. ICE has even arrested US citizens, leading to numerous court motions to halt those activities.
One particularly distressing case is that of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an undocumented immigrant arrested in March and deported to a prison in El Salvador. ICE now acknowledges that he was still under the protection of a 2019 court order that prohibited his return to that country.
Garcia’s family, who are U.S. citizens, sued for his return. The Supreme Court has ruled that the government must “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S.
Our own SSND documents from You Are Sent to General Chapter directives and one of the province's focus areas urge each of us to pray and act for justice for all:
https://ssnd.org/shalom/areas-of-concern/immigration-migrant-refugees/
https://www.atlanticmidwest.org/our-commitments/promoting-justice-immigrants
I wanted to live out our SSND calls for justice, and so joined a group of about 50 persons who rallied for Mr. Abrego Garcia outside the Consulate of El Salvador.
There were signs and chants calling for “due process” and to “Bring Him Home.” It was uplifting to be among citizens, using our voices and our presence to advocate for him.
I am pleased to be part of the Justice for Immigrants committee as we continue to educate ourselves and others, advocate for immigration reform and, act with and on behalf of those seeking a path to legal status in the U.S.
I hope you will share your own stories of “standing with immigrants.”
