This past week, three Seminary students, a priest, and a writer joined me in the Rio Grande Valley for our Courts and Ports Border Witness program. In less than 24 hours from their arrival, they found themselves sitting in front of an Immigration Judge witnessing first-hand, fast paced removal proceedings, inundated with legalese jargon, hearing language interpretation services (or lack thereof), and sharing the same windowless courtroom with immigrants who showed up to their court hearing. Luckily for this group, they also had the privilege to meet with a legal organization that further demystified the immigration system for them.
Beforehand, Heather, a seminary student, reminded the group to remain vigilant in observing body language and facial expressions, because staying in tune with feelings is important to this kind of faithful witness. In an effort to further remain in tune with the feeling of being in a new country, with court proceedings in English, and relying on an interpreter, Heather asked the group to recall a time when they completely depended on someone else due to a language barrier. Although some of us can never truly understand the feeling of having an Immigration Judge decide the fate of our lives or having to flee our home, we nevertheless aim to ruminate on the commonalities that we share and the humanity we all deserve to have respected.
To highlight how this border community has stepped in to provide migrants a humane and dignified welcome, this group next found themselves on their feet, putting their hands to work at the welcoming center, and in NGO shelters throughout the Valley. After federal immigration authorities process a migrant, these welcoming centers and shelters are often the first place migrants receive a welcome, essential provisions, and a safe space before they reunite with family or friends in the US.
This group witnessed the welcoming of migrants, they made snack bags for migrants, they made toy bags for children, they helped serve dinner alongside staff and migrants, they listened to and spoke to migrants who needed essential toiletries and clothing at the respite center. Some participants in this group also assisted with distributing boxes of food in colonias where they heard from and witnessed the necessities of these communities that are often living in dire conditions without electricity, no paved roads and in food desert zones. The NGOs in this border community often depend on each other, donations, and volunteers to continue providing humanitarian provisions.
The lack of essential provisions was evident as this group walked through the eerily quiet asylum river bank encampment in Matamoros, a huge open space filled with makeshift tents and hammocks. This group witnessed how migrants seeking safety are forced to remain in inhumane conditions in Mexico while waiting for an appointment on the glitchy CBP One app in order to claim asylum at a port of entry. While waiting for months in Mexico and throughout their entire journey migrants are susceptible to kidnappings, extortion, discrimination, and violence. The lack of infrastructure and resources for the safety, humane, and efficient processing of migrants at ports of entry is telling of the priorities of our US immigration system.
Before heading back home, this group discussed how they plan to further advocate and share with their own communities all they have learned, witnessed, and discerned. A particular discernment that struck me was Father Daniel’s words that I will paraphrase: I am worried about the compromised humanity of all those involved in this immigration system, including those of federal immigration authorities, immigration judges, and government attorneys alike. Father Daniel’s words are not something I had ever thought about and they serve as a testament of why voices of the faith community are necessary in spaces where dehumanization is part of the system. Courts and Ports participants and this border community continuously remind me to remain steadfast in this work because ultimately “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
COURTS & PORTS BORDER WITNESS PROGRAM
“Courts & Ports is a 2-day immersion experience designed to build understanding of the many challenges facing migrants and public servants at the Texas-Mexico border. The project builds on work Texas Impact has been doing for years with faith communities across the state in building bridges between direct action and policy advocacy. Bearing witness to the current situation on the border helps equip people of faith from across Texas for potent advocacy for just immigration policies. Through interactions with policy experts; law enforcement officials; volunteers; and asylum seekers, participants gain perspective on the unique constellation of policy, logistical, and humanitarian issues in play.”
TAKE ACTION
My hope is that participants of Courts and Ports gain a big picture understanding of the complex immigration system that encompasses communities beyond the border. From the root causes, push and pull factors, policies, the roles of NGOs and faith communities, to the backlog in our immigration courts–comprehensive immigration reform– requires well thought out fully funded and resourced solutions that addresses all of these issues.
Advocate for Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform now so that states like Texas can stop legislating dangerous-piecemeal-unconstitutional bills that further criminalize and incarcerate our community members, including faith based providers while they do nothing to solve any immigration issues.
- Call your Congressional legislators to support comprehensive proposed bi-partisan immigration legislation such as the DIGNIDAD Act of 2023
- Join Courts and Ports Border Witness Program: Email fabi@texasimpact.org
PHOTOS CONVEY MORE THAN WORDS
