Justice for Immigrants: Guest Speaker Brings Urgent Plea  

by Irene Mehlos, Member of the Merrill Peace Study, St. Francis Xavier Parish, and the National Council of Catholic Women.

Immigration reform is a hotly debated subject. Oddly, that has been the case in this “Nation of Immigrants” since the Statue of Liberty was dedicated in 1886. (1)  Two years ago, legislation for comprehensive immigration reform failed.  Efforts were thwarted by a tidal wave of fear, misunderstanding and hateful messages often propagated by the click of a mouse.  One such email was the catalyst for the Merrill Peace Study Group and the Holy Cross Sisters to take action. We have collaborated over the past few years on immigration justice as it becomes a prominent “need of the times,” keenly felt right here in Merrill, Wisconsin.

Reaching out to fellow Sisters working with immigrants in the Milwaukee Archdiocese, we connected with Barbara Pfarr, SSND. She directs the Immigration Initiative for WISDOM, a state-wide network of faith-based community organizations.

During the first week of February, Sister Barbara spent 3 days in the Merrill area.  She was pleased for the chance to accompany S. Celine Goessl,SCSC, Provincial of the Holy Cross Sisters, to her monthly meeting with the ecumenical Merrill Ministerial group while in town. On Feb. 2, she addressed the Medford Holy Rosary Parish CCW on Catholic Church position and current realities for undocumented immigrants.  Sister emphasized that our Catholic bishops have taken a strong lead to provide basic education on immigration reform that is essential to understand before we take positions on future legislation.   The power point presentation and discussion was described as “eye-opening and even jaw dropping” by their parish DRE, Julie Minter. 

The following day, accompanied by S. Mary Thomas Reichl, SCSC, we met with Jamely Trevino, acting director of Comunidad Hispana.  The center in Merrill is an outreach to local Latino immigrants, which opened in 2004 with the help of the Holy Cross Sisters, and a Catholic Campaign for Human Development Grant from the Diocese of Superior.  Jamely described the everyday struggles and some tragedies of local immigrants. Gratitude and pride in her work as an advocate was plain to see. She credits much to S. Mary Thomas, who she says is a woman with “a big heart”.   

The evening event that followed at T.B. Scott Free Library, Merrill, was attended by over 40 people, including several immigrant families.  The public was invited to this call to promote understanding of the urgent need for immigration reform as well as the real benefits to our nation as a whole. Jamie, a young American mother whose husband was deported last year for lack of proper documents, served as an excellent translator.

S. Barbara’s key message is that “Our immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed now. There are no legal avenues for Latin American immigrants to come into our country. They come anyway because there is work for them here and the economy in their home countries does not allow them to support their families.” (2) Reading from the U.S. State Department Visa Bulletin for February 2010, Sister reported that work visas applied for in 1992 are just now being processed. (3)  Folks she assisted in applying for family visas during a brief opening in 1986 are first getting approval now (after a 24 year wait) to bring family members into the country.  

Guests in the audience added personal stories of heartbreaking family separation, worker exploitation, and racial profiling.  In one example a young woman shared that her parents came to work in our area over 10 years ago during a time of terrible poverty and homelessness for their family. The two children followed several years later when the family could pay the transport fees. The younger son arrived at age 14, but overstayed his visa to remain here with his family.  His father worked hard, driving to work at 4 a.m. daily to milk cows. In spite of careful attention to driving rules, he was recognized and stopped several times by police on his way to work. Unable to provide a license, he was arrested and fined, and eventually had to leave the area and live away from his home and family to find work in another town. His son, now 21, is married to an American woman. He was arrested last year for overstaying his visa and deported.  His wife is pregnant with their second child.  Another young man who was suicidal for lack of medication was brought to a clinic for care. From there, he was taken and deported without medication. His family has not heard from him since. Another woman’s husband has been missing since he was deported 7 years ago. She struggles to go on with her life not knowing if he is ever coming back. She is an American citizen. Other stories included harassment by authorities for supposed fines outside the county that have caused undue stress and burden to disprove. We also heard about a Latino dairy worker and several restaurant workers in nearby towns who are paid $600/month and any tips received directly are taken from them.  Still many other stories were held back, Jamely reported, as some people were afraid to talk openly.  As Bishop Thomas Wenski states, “Immigrants aren’t breaking the law. The law is breaking them.”

During this time of recession and reduced migration, we have a precious window of opportunity to fix our immigration system.   Reform that legalizes currently unauthorized immigrants and creates flexible legal limits on future immigration while assuring full labor rights would help American workers and the U. S. economy, while improving national security. Unlike the current enforcement-only strategy, comprehensive reform would raise the “wage floor” for the entire U.S. economy to the benefit of both immigrant and native-born workers. (4)    

People can help by becoming informed, contacting their legislators, and spreading the word.  As Catholics and Christians, we believe our faith requires us to act justly. The USCCB offers an excellent resource. (5)   Sister Barbara urged folks to contact her by email to receive occasional legislative action alerts. Her address is: Bpfarr_wisdom@sbcglobal.net

References:

Dr. Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda. “Raising the Floor For American Workers: The Economic Benefits of Comprehensive Immigration Reform” January 7, 2010, Center for American Progress

 

 

Irene Mehlos