Catholics lead protest in opposition to U.S. immigration policies outside the Wyatt Detention Center
“Migration has been part of our spiritual DNA since Adam and
Eve left the garden,” said Bishop Lewandowski (right in photo above). “We need a movement,
akin to the civil rights movement or women’s suffrage, to advocate for just
treatment of migrants.”
“We gather here today to pray for an end to the violence of
mass deportations of our migrating brothers and sisters, which include
practices of racial profiling, the separation of families, the deportation of
people who are asking for asylum and safety from the conditions of their
homelands, too often taken back to dangerous conditions without any criminal
records to justify removal from our country and arbitrarily losing their legal
status,” said Father Bob Mosher of the Bristol
Columban Fathers, standing outside the Wyatt Detention Center in
Central Falls yesterday. “Together with our bishops, we express concern for the
conditions in detention centers like the Wyatt facility in front of us. We pray
today, the Holy Rosary, meditating on the five holy migrations of
our Lord Jesus Christ, aware that our Savior, whose birth we
celebrate in a few days, also experienced the challenges and dangers of
migration during his life on earth.
“May God help us to denounce this injustice happening today
in our country and move our elected authorities to reform our broken
immigration system so that all those individuals and families fleeing poverty,
violence, and the devastating effects of climate change, may be welcomed,
attended to, and integrated into our own society.”
On Monday, led by the Diocese of Providence and M25:35, around 60 people gathered at the new offices of Fuerza Laboral at 6 Chace’s Lane, Central Falls, to march to the Wyatt Detention Center to oppose the Trump Administration’s immigration policies and the brutality of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Fuerza Laboral is a social justice organization that supports migrants and works with the Diocese to train parish volunteers and families to respond to risks and emergencies.
M25:35 is a migrant and refugee ministry with a mission to welcome Christ in the stranger by providing general assistance with refugee resettlement and support for migrants, organized out of Saint Mary of the Bay Church in Warren. The name comes from the New Testament Gospel of Matthew 25:35: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger, and you invited me in...” Due to changes in federal immigration policies, M25:35 has shifted its focus from resettling new arrivals to supporting families already in Rhode Island.
Last week, four M25:35 Advisory Board members attended
the Witness to Hope conference at the cathedral in Providence,
organized and sponsored by the Diocese along with national organizations,
including the HOPE Border Institute based in El Paso, Texas,
the Center for Migration Studies based in New York, and
the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Bishop Bruce Lewandowski was the opening speaker at the
conference, and he spoke about church teaching on social justice related to
migration issues:
“Migration has been part of our spiritual DNA since Adam and
Eve left the garden,” said Bishop Lewandowski. “We need a movement, akin to the
civil rights movement or women’s suffrage, to advocate for just treatment of
migrants.”
One of the actions coming out of the conference was the
formation of a Migration Commission in the Diocese of
Providence to expand advocacy efforts in solidarity with migrants facing
arbitrary detention, loss of status without due process, family separation, and
deportation.
This commission organized Monday’s action. As people gathered outside, those imprisoned in the Wyatt could be heard banging on their cell windows. The crowd outside waved in response. The Rosary included meditations on the mysteries of the five sacred migrations of Jesus Christ, developed by Father Mosher:
- The
first Holy Migratory Mystery: The Lord’s Journey to Bethlehem.
- The
second Holy Migratory Mystery: The Flight of the Holy Family into Egypt.
- The
third Holy Migratory Mystery: The Journey to Nazareth.
- The
fourth Holy Migratory Mystery: The Journey of Our Lord to Jerusalem,
announcing the Kingdom of God.
- The
fifth Holy Migratory Mystery: The Journey of Our Lord to Galilee, to meet
his disciples after the resurrection.
Attendees were not all Catholics. There were people there
from many differing faiths, united in their support for immigrant rights,
safety, and fair treatment.
SteveAhlquist.news is a reader-supported publication. To
receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid
subscriber.
