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"I wish to also call attention to the tens of thousands of children that emigrate alone, unaccompanied to escape violence and poverty ... This humanitarian emergency requires, as a first urgent measure, these children be welcomed and protected. Many people forced to emigrate suffer, and often, die tragically; many of their rights are violated, they are obliged to separate from their families and, unfortunately, continue to be the subject of racist and xenophobic attitudes."
~Pope Francis, July 11, 2014
The crisis focusing on unaccompanied minors at the U.S. southern border has stretched on for weeks, months. The response has been shocking at times. In the midst of all of the posturing and blaming which takes place among members of the media and our political leaders, the simple human dignity of these suffering children is often lost.
Over the past weeks, we've been featuring articles and various actions as resources which our members and people of good will can use to pray, study and act on this issue. We've gathered some of those resources together on a single webpage and will add more to the page in the weeks and months to come. You can click here to see our new webpage, "The Children at Our Border."
Below, and in the sidebar to the left, you can find additional resources for prayer, study and action. Let us echo the message of Pope Francis when he says that "these children must be welcomed and protected." And let us act and advocate to make that so.
In peace,
Johnny Zokovitch
Director of Communications, Pax Christi USA
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PRAY: A Prayer for the Children
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We pray for the childrenwho sneak popsicles before supper,who erase holes in math workbooks,who can never find their shoes. And we pray for those
who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,
who can't bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers,
who never "counted potatoes,"
who are born in places where we wouldn't be caught dead,
who never go to the circus,
who live in an X-rated world. We pray for the children
who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,
who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money. And we pray for those
who never get dessert,
who have no safe blanket to drag behind them,
who watch their parents watch them die,
who can't find bread to steal,
who don't have rooms to clean up,
whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser,
whose monsters are real...
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STUDY: Do not deport the children!
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by Scott Wright, Pax Christi Metro D.C.-Baltimore
"A Church that doesn't provoke any crises, a gospel that doesn't unsettle, a word of God that doesn't get under anyone's skin, a word of God that doesn't touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed - what Gospel is that?"
~ Archbishop Oscar Romero
There is a refugee crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border, and a war in Central America and Mexico against children. It is being waged by gangs and drug cartels, corrupt police and corrupt government officials complicit with these non-state actors or governments unable or unwilling to fulfill their obligations to protect children from the violence directed against them.
Children as young as two and their families are making a perilous journey north, fleeing violence in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala and seeking to reunite with their families in the United States. The numbers may approach 90,000 this year, and even more in the year to come, and they are fleeing from the countries with the highest murder rates in the world.
There is clearly a moral crisis in our nation, as Congress refuses to pass comprehensive immigration reform and President Obama asks Congress for more money for border enforcement and a change in the law that protects unaccompanied children so that he can expedite their deportation without judicial review.
Above all, there is also a spiritual crisis in the nation. Undocumented children have become the new scapegoats....
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ACT: Have your city pass a resolution to provide relief for the children at the border
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NOTE: We saw this idea from a post on SHARE-El Salvador's Facebook page last week.
In mid-July, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution calling for immediate humanitarian relief for the detained children. The resolution calls for the allocation of resources to children living in limbo while awaiting immigration proceedings.
Much like in the 1980's when the city passed the Sanctuary Ordinance and became a "Sanctuary City", the city of San Francisco is now again opening its doors and making its resources available to these children. This is a huge step forward to the protection and reunification of these children with their families.
Take action by:
- Asking your city to pass a similar resolution and organizing a campaign to make it so.
- Encourage your church to make a public statement in support of the children and/or its commitment to delegating resources to help.
Read more about the San Francisco resolution by clicking here.
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