The fear of immigration raids has spread deep into the Washington metropolitan area Hispanic community. The constant threat of arrests has disrupted the daily routine of hundreds of families, many of whom are afraid to do everyday activities such as shopping, taking their children to school or attending Mass.
However, in the face of this growing uncertainty, the Catholic Church’s response has been clear and firm: to be united with those who suffer, as the Gospel says. During people’s pain and anguish, the Church’s solidarity offers them refuge and support.
A Church present in pain
As headlines report arrests of Hispanic immigrants on the streets, the deployment of the National Guard in vulnerable neighborhoods, and the forced removal of homeless people, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington’s commitment to those most affected is also visible.
In recent days, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington has expanded its network of shelters, offering more than 850 beds for the homeless each night. In addition, 64 archdiocesan parishes – including St. Martin of Tours in Gaithersburg, the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, and St. Camillus and St. Michael the Archangel in Silver Spring – distribute food weekly to hundreds of migrant and low-income families. Some also offer hot meals and paralegal support.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recently reaffirmed its commitment to welcoming immigrants and refugees with dignity and humanity, without compromising national security.
False alarms and painful realities
Amidst the climate of fear, misinformation also contributes to panic. A few days ago, erroneous reports circulated about the arrest of parishioners inside an Hispanic church. Capuchin Franciscan Father Emilio Biosca Agüero, the pastor of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart, clarified that “none of the arrests occurred inside the church or during Masses. The arrests were made on weekdays, in different parts of the District of Columbia.”
The priest also said that, in the face of the obvious fear of their parishioners, many parishes have begun to offer legal support, letters of solidarity and assistance for the care of minors. Home visits and food delivery are also organized for those who prefer not to leave home.
“We must be prudent, but not alarmist,” Father Biosca said. “Masses and parish activities remain safe. Any abnormality will be reported immediately. It is vital to maintain dialogue with priests and community leaders.”
The Church’s response
During the immigration raids, at least 15 parishioners have been arrested from parishes in the archdiocese. Faced with this situation, Washington Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjívar-Ayala has announced that he will meet privately with the affected families to coordinate pastoral and legal support.
One of the most dramatic cases is that of an Hispanic mother with five children, whose husband was detained because of his immigration status. Fellow parishioners in Silver Spring have provided accompaniment to that family, offering solidarity and economic support.
In a July 1 interview with CNN, Washington Cardinal Robert W. McElroy strongly criticized the Trump administration’s policy of the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants.
“This is simply not only incompatible with Catholic teaching, it’s inhumane and it’s morally repugnant,” Cardinal McElroy said.
In a March 6 interview with the Catholic Standard and El Pregonero, Cardinal McElroy said that when you label immigrants as criminals, “you dehumanize them, you say they’re the other, they’re not like us. And thus it is all right to treat them as lesser, as less human than us. That’s a very dangerous thing… We as Christians have to stand up and say, ‘These are our neighbors. These are men and women and children who we know, and they live good lives. They’re not criminals.’”
The majority of those immigrants, the cardinal said, “are men and women and children and families who have often had to flee terrible situations of injustice or economic degradation or danger to their person from gangs… These (are) people who have had to flee here and are living among us in such an exemplary way.”
Testimonies of faith in courts
Solidarity is also present outside the churches. On Aug. 26, an archdiocesan priest escorted an anklet-wearing parishioner to his appointment at the Immigration Court in Annandale, Virginia. “The fear of deportation is enormous when you have a family established in the metropolitan area for years. But here we are, to assist them in whatever way we can,” the priest said.
Similar scenes are occurring in Baltimore, where Catholic leaders, pro-bono and religious lawyers show up daily to assist arrested immigrants.
Hope in action
In this context, the archdiocese is preparing to celebrate the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees on Sunday, Sept. 28, under the theme “Migrants, missionaries of hope.” The day will include a community reflection, a procession, and Mass.
The commemoration of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees will begin at 2:30 p.m. with a prayerful procession starting at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in the Hispanic neighborhood of Mount Pleasant in Northwest Washington and culminate with a Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle at 5:30 p.m., presided over by Cardinal Robert McElroy. A large participation of young people and adults is expected at the procession and Mass.
Alarming data
According to the Department of Homeland Security, in the first 200 days of President Donald Trump’s administration, more than 352,000 undocumented immigrants have been arrested and 324,000 of them have been deported, which is equivalent to an average of 1,620 deportations per day.
Data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shows that arrests are more frequent in states led by Republican government officials, where immigrants who have been released after serving their sentence for minor crimes are turned over to the immigration service for deportation. Meanwhile, in Democratic-led states, arrests have been made in workplaces and communities with a high Hispanic presence.
But in the face of fear, uncertainty and injustice faced by the nation’s immigrants, the Catholic community reaffirms itself as a source of welcome, consolation, and concrete action, showing that standing united with those who suffer is not only an act of faith, but also an act of justice, and that in dark times, solidarity shines brighter.
