A Pastoral Note on Mass Deportations

Dear Friends,

Many of you have reached out this week out of concern for friends and loved ones living in this country with uncertain immigration status. You have asked about our HIHI participants, Haitian immigrants admitted under humanitarian parole and asylum claims, and, of course, the many, many citizens of South American countries in our community admitted through temporary protected status in prior decades.

I am concerned for them as well.

I will never forget the day that Immigration Officers arrested Pilar, my beloved Guatemalan nanny in front of me when I was 4 or 5 years old. Even now, at nearly 50, my heart aches for her and I regret opening the door to the immigration officials who arrested her and letting them in. But I was a child, and I didn’t know my rights or hers.

I never saw her again and don’t know what happened to her. I think of her whenever I read of the promise of widespread rapid enforcement of immigration laws or mass deportations. I also think of my great grandparents, who were welcomed in this country after they fled pogroms in Ukraine. Experiences like these cannot help but shape us.

I also know that we are a community of divided opinion and that this letter will invite many passionate expressions of critical feedback.

In response to your requests, I have reached out to the leaders of the Huntington Rapid Response Network and the Huntington Interfaith Action Network Against Hate (HANAH). I am gathering resources for anyone who would like to know more. If you are interested in participating in the local work of these faith-based organizations, please reach out to me directly, and I will put you in direct contact with the leaders of these initiatives. All expressions of interest will be kept confidential.

Episcopal Migration Ministries has created a website of essential resources for immigrant families that outlines their rights and resources to prepare for likey interaction with Immigration and Customs Enforcement Authorities. Those resources can be found here.

We know these are difficult times, and knowing what is best for ourselves or our nation is not always easy. As always, we invite your prayers for wisdom for our national leaders, the merciful and just application of our laws, and compassion for the most vulnerable and marginalized in our communities.

Faithfully yours,