Sunday, November 16th Essay: Have Mercy on Us, O Lord
“States have the right and duty to protect their borders, but this should be balanced by the moral obligation to provide refuge. With the abuse of vulnerable migrants, we are not witnessing the legitimate exercise of national sovereignty, but rather serious crimes committed or tolerated by the state. Increasingly inhumane measures are being taken—even politically celebrated—to treat these “undesirables” as if they were garbage and not human beings.” Pope Leo XIV.
Noray Sontay Ramos had only one memory of her childhood in Guatemala. She was eight years old when gang members beat her mother, Estela Ramos Baton, and left her bleeding on the floor. In the spring of 2016, Estala fled Guatemala with Noray. They made it to Arizona, where they were detained but then released. Noray and her mom went to Los Angeles, where Noray’s mom found work as a seamstress. She applied for asylum but was denied, and an order of removal was entered in 2021. Estela continued to pursue legal avenues to remain in the United States while battling high blood pressure and nerve pain. It took time for Noray to adjust to life in the United States, but at age 17, she blossomed as a student and athlete. This past summer, Estela was ordered to report to immigration court with her daughter. They were both detained and deported to Guatemala. Shortly after Noray’s 18th birthday, her mother passed away suddenly. Noray was left to create a life in a country that she and her mother once fled with the hope of a brighter future.
Carmen’s abusive husband came home drunk one night last summer. He pounded and kicked the door. He threatened to kill her as her young son watched in horror. She called the police, eventually obtaining a restraining order. Months later, he returned and beat her again. Police came again, and he was eventually deported. Carmen applied for a U Visa that allows crime victims a way to stay in the United States legally. Unfortunately, the current administration routinely ignores pending applications. During an immigration check-in in June of this year, Carmen was detained. Without anyone to take care of her son, he was placed with his mother in a family detention facility. Her lawyer informed authorities of her pending application as well as the medical issues that both Carmen and her son had. They were deported to their home country. When she arrived in her home country, her husband was waiting for her. With no other options, she went to live with him and is now a prisoner in his home.
We were told that the focus of immigration enforcement efforts would be the “worst of the worst.” Instead, we are witnessing indiscriminate dragnets, some of which ensnare citizens and others who are lawfully present in the United States, all for the purpose of meeting arbitrary quotas. We are also seeing federal agents acting with violence toward peaceful protestors, journalists, and individuals seeking to accompany persons to immigration court. A climate of fear and intimidation is being cultivated to facilitate the deportation of any and all migrants, and to silence all protests against current policies and practices. Let Pope Leo have the final word:
“The experience of migration accompanies the history of the People of God. Abraham sets out without knowing where he is going; Moses leads the pilgrim people through the desert; Mary and Joseph flee with the child Jesus to Egypt. Christ himself, who ‘came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him’ (Jn 1:11), lived among us as a stranger. For this reason, the Church has always recognized in migrants a living presence of the Lord who, on the day of judgment, will say to those on his right: ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me’ (Mt 25:35).” Pope Leo XIV “Dilexit te: On the Love of the Poor” [73]