Justice At The Table

Gathering at Sheridan – (c) John M. Kingery All Rights Reserved 2018

From Sunday, September 30 to Saturday, October 6, hundreds of individuals participated in the 140 mile journey from the Sheridan Detention facility in Sheridan, Oregon  to the NORCOR in the Dalles, Oregon. Concerned local citizens collaborated with the Rural Organizing Project, the Immigration Movement for Immigrant Justice (IMIrJ) for successful community building and displays of solidarity. People of faith and people of good will came from all corners of the Oregon. We marched to end to immigrant and refugee detention facilities in Oregon and raise awareness of Measure 105’s dangerous effects on our communities.

Rainbow at Sheridan (C) John Kingery All Rights Reserved 2018

On Sunday, we celebrated only 8 detained persons remained at Sheridan unable to pay their bail bond. All 123 detained persons had passed the DHS “credible risk”requirements. Representatives of the Sikh community thanked everyone for our efforts and led us in prayer. Together, we shared a traditional Sikh meal. As we left, a rain bow came down on the prison. Our prayers had reached God and God answered.

As most with most journeys, there were adjustments. On Monday, a contingent of marchers was diverted to the Washington County Courthouse. Two members of the immigrant community had been detained by ICE agents inside the building. They stood as witnesses against that activity.

Standing for Justice at the Washington County Courthouse, Hillsboro Oregon. (c) John Kingery All rights reserved 2018

Wednesday, the pilgrims walked from Forest Grove and stopped for lunch at St. Alexander’s in Cornelius. At 4:00 pm they gathered in front of the Washington County Courthouse. Hector Hinojosa, a resident since 1961 and Defensa de la Dignidad member, spoke of the racial profiling taking place before the passage of 1987 Oregon law prohibiting use of state and local resource for federal immigration enforcement. “There is a ripple effective of fear permeating the community today”, Hinojosa stated.

On the courthouse steps, Pastor Jorge Rodriguez of Hillsboro United Methodist asked, “How can I say to my community, go to the courthouse and do your business when I know that ICE is there to prey on people”? A detainee’s mother spoke through tears. He was first taken to Portland and then to Tacoma with no further communication.

Where are the children? (c) John Kingery All rights reserved 2018

Thursday in Portland began with a morning vigil at the ICE Headquarters on Macadam.     I met the marchers at First Congregational United Church of Christ for lunch. I met a ‘raging granny’ displaying two signs containing the requirements of do justly, love kindness, walk humbly, and justice and compassion for the stranger. Fewer people were using Virginia Garcia due to federal immigration policies. Trust has been broken and many may not get the needed health care. Marchers offered thanks at the various congressional offices visited.

Visiting Senator Jeff Merkley’s office in Portland, Oregon (c) John KIngery, All Rights Reserved, 2018

Hood River and finally The Dalles were the final stops on the journey.

Saturday the pilgrimage ended at the NORCOR regional jail in The Dalles. Gorge Ecumenical Ministries invited those gathered to become pen pals with the detained individuals.

Maru Mora Villaponda of NW Detention Center Resistance reminded us of our humanity.She clearly stated, “The one thing immigrants have is human dignity.
Give them that dignity. Do not say detainee, say person detained.” They are human beings fighting for their human dignity needing our support. Those detained persons are the heroes and leaders.

In the week following, God blessed me as I spoke words of welcome to recently released men in halting French and Spanish. They were thankful for all the prayers and support they have received.

Over the past year, I have been on a long journey. We must as Pope Francis wrote “recognize that all of us “belong to one family, migrants and the local populations that welcome them… It is here that solidarity and sharing are founded.”

Will join me on this journey? Will you love the stranger in our midst?

Dear John Francis,
Happy you and Grace had a good time in the Mount Rushmore area.

Regarding the current activities regarding immigration, I do support freedom of speech, but not violence. As Christians, we have been given a spirit and responsibility.

“God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.“ 1Timothy 1:7.

I endeavor to conduct myself in that manner and affiliate myself with others who try to do the same. That is the primary reason I continue to be involved in the Inter-faith Movement for Immigrant Justice.

God tells us; “you shall not oppress a resident alien” instead we are to “love the alien as yourself”.

Our Catholic faith teaches that
1. People have the right to migrate to sustain their lives and the lives of their families.
2. A country has the right to regulate its borders and to control immigration.
3. A country must regulate its borders with justice and mercy.

Last month, Archbishop Alexander K. Sample of Portland, Oregon released a letter calling for mercy, charity and access to pastoral care for the 123 immigrant detainees at the Sheridan Federal Prison in Oregon. He stands with other bishops -“In condemning the separation of family members at the U.S./Mexico border as part of the implementation of the Administration’s “zero tolerance” policy.” Archbishop sample calls for mercy, charity and access to pastoral care after recent immigration activity 

The U.S. Catholic Bishops have visited the border.  “The children who are separated from their parents need to be reunited. That’s already begun and it’s certainly not finished and there may be complications, but it must be done and it’s urgent,” said Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.They are calling for reunification of for keeping families to together. Bishops end border visit calling for urgent reunification of children

Politically and morally our country is in a dangerous and turbulent time. I picked up the most recent Time Magazine. It contained a thought provoking article  A Reckoning After Trump’s Border Separation Policy: What Kind of Country Are We?

It was Alexis de Tocqueville, the French observer of the early American character, who recognized the danger of placing too much value on business, law and order at the expense of the higher values. Warning of the country’s obsession with material gain and the enforcement of order necessary to pursue it, he wrote,” A nation that asks nothing of its government but the maintenance of order is already a slave at heart.”

Christ warned us of the same when He taught, “We cannot serve two masters”. Yet, we are in this world and need to participate, and at times challenge the prevailing culture. That is our right and responsibility as citizens, Catholics and people of good will.

Contact your member of Congress. What is their position on immigration issues – “zero tolerance”, DACA, family separation and security? Do they truly align with our faith and values?

I am traveling to back Baltimore and Philadelphia for a conference – Cultivating Creativity in Social Justice Ministry: “Love requires a concrete, creative response”.

Knowing it will be hot, I designed myself a new hat with the wording “Faith Has a Voice”. You could say it is my counter to “Make American Great Again”.

Talk to you soon.

Ann and I send our love.
In Christ and Peace,
John Marshall

Is It Subversive?

On this day in 1977, Rutilio Grande, SJ was martyred in El Salvador. He along with an old peasant and teenage boy were killed in a hail of gun fire. Grande was considered a “radical” for his commitment to the poor and vulnerable. “Very soon the Bible won’t be allowed to cross our borders. We will get only the bindings, because all the pages are subversive.”

Is it subversive to promote mercy and peace in our communities by implementing reasonable regulation on fire arms? Our Catholic Bishops support universal background checks for gun purchases, limiting civilian access to high capacity weapons and ammunition, outlawing gun trafficking. They support restorative justice legislation to help break people out of the cycle of violence. The Church support improved access to help for those with addiction and mental health needs.

Two weeks ago, I received active shooter training where I work. The presenter was a law officer of a local swat team. He acknowledged that access to semi-automatic weapons should be limited. The core issue is the lack of respect for all human life.

“Peace and violence cannot dwell together, and where there is violence, God cannot be present.” Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church – #488. (1 Chronicles 22:8-9)

What will you do to promote mercy and peace in your community today?

Peace, John