Last month, I saw a tweet
by Trump (2019), which said, “The Democrats do not want us to detain, or send
back, criminal aliens! This is a brand new demand. Crazy!”
My face felt hot and the pit of
my stomach clenched. Before I realized it, I typed a reply, trying my
hardest to remain calm and comprehensible. I mustered up as much levelheadedness
as I could and responded:
I’m going to say
1 thing. There’s a pastor in my denomination on a work visa, trying to support
his daughter who has a disability, being deported. Not a dangerous criminal.
Here legally. No warning. Just a letter giving him 30 days. Don’t say it’s
criminals-It’s discrimination. (Rivera, 2019).
Please tell me
again how @realDonaldTrump only wants to deport dangerous criminals. I know
Pastor Mallqui personally. He’s more an asset to this country than many U.S.
Citizens and government officials I know. And his health challenged daughter
needs him! (Rivera, 2019).
After reading the story more
closely, I realized I was incorrect about the work visa. According to Adams
(2019), Pastor Helbert Mallqui was here on a visa for religious workers, which
expired before Mallqui was able to “legalize his immigration status.” He applied
for, and was granted, deferred action due to his daughter, Carmen, who has “Downs
Syndrome and an enlarged heart (cardiomegaly)” (Adams, 2019).
Unfortunately, he had the misfortune
of filing for an extension during the Trump administration's ‘zero-tolerance’
policy and was denied. (Adams, 2019).
Even though I stand corrected
about the legality of Mallqui’s immigration status, the main point of my tweets
still holds true: Trump isn’t only deporting criminal aliens.
According to Valverde (2019), “President
Donald Trump’s administration has deported thousands of immigrants with
criminal convictions, moving forward on what Trump said he would do if elected
to the White House.”
However, examples like Mallqui’s
show it’s not just immigrants who have criminal convictions. It’s any deportable,
unauthorized immigrant that shows up on ICE’s radar, like Mallqui.
Mallqui is here from Peru and currently
pastors the Iglesia Cristiana (Discípulos de Cristo) “Getsemaní” in Valdosta,
GA. He’s active in the Southeast region of the Disciples of Christ (Christian
Church). I remember running into him at several regional events. I enjoy his
enthusiastic prayers, personally inspired songs, and pastoral messages, of
which there are examples of on the church’s YouTube channel.
It’s always a pleasure to see his
family. His wife often has a broad smile, happily supporting her husband’s
ministry. His children are a hoot, which I noticed after being in charge of the
kids during one of the regional assemblies. I spent most of my time with Mallqui’s
eldest son and daughter, who were the best behaved of the group. Yet, their
little sister stayed with her mother as she’s too young and has disabilities.
Altogether, the family’s as wholesome as any other.
One can imagine my surprise when
I heard Mallqui was being deported.
One moment I’m sitting in the church
pews, hearing the prayer announcements, and the next I’m choking on my spit and
coughing, my little cousin looking at me in concern.
Understandably, Mallqui’s family
was shocked too. The letter gave a 30 days’ notice, although that was cut
short as the letter didn’t arrive for about a week. In reality, Mallqui only
had 20 or so days.
The real kicker for me was how his
petition to stay didn’t focus on his work, even though that’s reason enough considering
the positive impact he’s had in his community. As aforementioned, the main
reason for his petition was Carmen.
This was still not enough.
Mallqui has been working with his
immigration lawyer, Elizabeth Ricci, and he’s still petitioning. There’s only
so much he can do, though. He’s fighting not just for his right to stay after
all he’s given to the local Latinx and Christian community, but for his family.
His wife would more than likely have to return with him, but their children are
U.S. citizens. What’s the best choice for them considering this is their home?
As I listened to my mom share his
story, my heart raced, and my foot shook. I shuffled through my mental filing
cabinet for helpful ideas. Could we collect signatures for our own petition? Who
do we send that to? Maybe write character witnesses letters for Ricci to use in
Mallqui’s case?
All I knew was I had to do something. I raised my hand instinctively
to ask what we could do. I realized I couldn’t simply pray. As Sanna (2019)
reminds us, Pope Francis said, “You pray for the hungry. Then you feed them.
This is how prayer works.” If we wanted God to help Mallqui, we needed to let
God work through our actions.
Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself. Yes, a man will
say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and
I by my works will show you my faith. – James 2: 17-18
My mom assured us that the local
regional leaders were talking with Ricci to see how we could help. After all,
we wanted to help, not worsen, Mallqui’s case. She promised to get back to us
and I tried to find comfort in the plan.
As I sat back in my seat, trying
to feel reassured while my mom began the congregational prayer, I looked around.
My friend was clearly upset behind me - jaw set tight, hands wrung together, legs
restless, eyes avoidant. The Director of Elders prayed in tongues, hand raised towards
heaven. My stepdad, a naturalized U.S. citizen from El Salvador, shook his
head. Clearly, I was not the only one shaken by this injustice.
Another day, we wrote a character
witness letter and the congregation signed it. My mom sent it through overnight
delivery to Ricci. I posted it on the church’s Facebook page, which led to shares
and others writing letters too. We’re still waiting to see what comes of
everyone’s efforts.
Mallqui isn’t the only religious leader to be targeted for deportation. A
quick Google search brings up other cases, like Jorge Ramirez. According to
Morrissey (2017), Apostolic Church Music Minister “Ramirez said he does not
know why he is being targeted for removal from the U.S. The Trump
administration has said that it is targeting criminals and those who have
already been ordered deported. Ramirez said he falls into neither category.”
Irony: Ramirez is a Republican and Trump supporter
(Morrissey, 2017).
It doesn’t stop there. A CBS Los Angeles article conveys the
attempted deportation of the Evangelical Assemblies of God Pastor Noe Carias,
who came here from Guatemala as an undocumented teenager over two decades ago,
but is now married to a U.S. Citizen and has two American children (2017).
Gonzalez (2018) also reminds us of the failed deportation of
Iglesia Internacional Cordero de Dios Pastor Antonio Velazquez, who is also president
of the Maya Chapin nonprofit that focuses on helping Guatemalan immigrants. He was finally able to stay because “he feared
he’d be killed if deported back to Guatemala, which he fled in 1990 to escape
civil war” (Gonzalez, 2018).
These are not unique cases. As immigration attorney Alma
Rosa Neito informs us, “there have been hundreds of deportations like this one –
involving immigrants whose only crime is crossing the border illegally” (CBS
Los Angeles, 2017).
The truth is no undocumented immigrant is safe, regardless
of circumstances.
I find it difficult to understand how Christians can support
these actions by the Trump administration. Based on my religious upbringing,
what Trump has done is against the teachings of the Bible, which emphasizes
welcoming the stranger, not fearing and expelling them.
“If a stranger lives as a foreigner with you in your land, you shall
not do him wrong. The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to
you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you
lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.” – Leviticus 19: 33-34
I read articles like that of Fea
(2018), which explains, “White evangelicals saw in Donald Trump a president who
could help them in their fight against diversity, abortion and the shrinking
role of religion.” I then stand flabbergasted that this xenophobia exists today.
It’s not only white evangelicals
either. I remember conversations with my Puerto Rican grandparents, both of whom disliked
Trump, but accepted him because of his supposed faith. They’re referring to
times when Trump has specifically said he’s Christian, like Howe (2018) reminds
us.
This completely confounds me as
Trump’s immigration policies are harmful to the Latinx community, but then I
have to remember not every Latinx group deals with immigration. According to
Byler (2019), Trump’s supporters in the Latinx community have increased due to
other issues, such as education, economy, and health. The Latinx community and
their concerns are diverse (Byler, 2019). I can, begrudgingly, try to
understand, even though immigration is important to me as a U.S. Citizen and
Puerto Rican.
As a Christian and Latina, I
stand firm against the Trump administration’s actions. I cannot overlook what
he’s done to the immigrant community. My faith and ethnicity move me to
advocate against his policies.
In times like this, I cannot stay
silent. I put my faith into action in an effort to bring change at the macro
level. I speak my native tongue to my people in an effort to bring change at the
micro level. I join communities of advocates and Latinx people who look to
create a society where all are welcome, regardless of faith, ethnicity, or
immigration status.
In the meantime, I keep my
undocumented brothers, sisters, and non-binary siblings in mind through prayer,
hoping the cumulative efforts of all the compassionate advocates in our society
can finally bring God’s peace to this heartbroken population.
References
Adams, D. (2019). Peruvian pastor faces deportation, despite
three U.S. born children, one with
serious medical needs. Univision News. Retrieved from https://www.univision.com/univision-news/immigration/peruvian-pastor-faces-deportation-despite-three-u-s-born-children-one-with-serious-medical-needs
Byler, D. (2019). Trump’s support among Hispanics and Latinos
is real. Don’t assume it will fade. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/03/05/trumps-support-among-hispanics-latinos-is-real-dont-assume-it-will-fade/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.604b2ae6c97d
CBS Los Angeles (2017). LA pastor detained, faces deportation
for entering US illegally as teen. Retrieved from https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2017/07/24/pastor-detained-deportation/
Fea (2018). White evangelicals fear the future and yearn for
the past. Of course Trump is their hero. USA Today. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/07/08/evangelicals-support-donald-trump-out-fear-nostalgia-column/748967002/
Gonzalez, D. (2018). A year after ICE almost deported him,
Guatemalan pastor and community leader back to work. AZCentral.com. Retrieved from https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2018/09/14/guatemalan-pastor-antonio-velasquez-back-work-year-after-ice-nearly-deported-trump-administration/1262198002/
Howe, B. (2018, March 13). The faith in Donald. J. Trump. [web
log comment]. Retrieved from https://medium.com/s/story/the-faith-in-donald-j-trump-23878e5b8e66
Morrissey, K. (2017). The minister supported Trump. Now he’s
facing deportation under this administration’s immigration crackdown.
The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from
https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-minister-trump-20180706-story.html
Rivera, S. [selysrivera]. (2019, February 11). I’m going to
say 1 thing. There’s a pastor in my denomination on a work via, trying
to support his daughter who has a disability, being deported. Not a dangerous
criminal. Here legally. No warning. Just a letter giving him 30 days. Don’t say
it’s criminals-It’s discrimination. [Tweet]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/SelysRivera/status/1095057791264456704
Rivera, S. [selysrivera]. (2019, February 24). Please tell
me again how @realDonaldTrump only wants to deport dangerous
criminals. I know Pastor Mallqui personally. He’s more an asset to this country
than many U.S. citizens and government officials I know. And his health challenged
daughter needs him! [Tweet] Retrieved from https://twitter.com/SelysRivera/status/1099785640709898240
Sanna, E. (2019). Pope Francis says feed the hungry, or else.
Pope Francis Facts. Retrieved from http://popefrancisfacts.org/you-pray-for-the-hungry-then-you-feed-them-thats-how-prayer-works-pope-francis/
Trump, D. [realDonaldTrump]. (2019, February 11). The democrats
do not want us to detain, or send back, criminal aliens! This is
a brand new demand. Crazy! [Tweet]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1094948909657542656
Valverde, M. (2019). More criminals in the country illegally
are deported. Politifacts. Retrieved from https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/trumpometer/promise/1398/remove-criminal-undocumented-immigrants/
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