How Can We Stay Silent?

“When an alien resides with you in your land, do not mistreat such a one. You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you, you shall love the alien as yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt.” Leviticus 19:33-34.

At a Bar Mitzvah I recently attended, the rabbi began with an announcement of where, in case of an ICE raid during the service, people could find private spaces beyond the reach of the masked men. The sanctuary itself was public space, but the synagogue had carefully established safe zones where refugees would be protected. Abundance of caution? Perhaps, but the cruelty is rampant in California. In Los Angeles alone, ICE arrested more than 2,000 immigrants who had no criminal records.  On August 12, seven people with no criminal records—including a 17-year-old boy with Down Syndrome–were deported from their home in Oakland, and sent to detention centers around the U.S. According to neighbors, they were quiet and hard-working, going daily to their jobs in a fast food restaurant. (https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2025/08/20/oakland-ice-arrest-response/)

From a moral standpoint, Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, TX (who once donated a kidney to a sick parishioner!) clearly condemns the administration’s bullying. “It is not the undocumented who represent a threat to the rule of law in our country. The vast majority of migrants would not hesitate to regularize their situation lawfully were it possible. It is the fault of lawmakers unable or unwilling to establish sane and lawful mechanisms to manage migration in our country, at the border, and abroad.” Furthermore, actions such as closing the border to the vulnerable, depriving hundreds of thousands of people legal status, denying due process, “are all morally indefensible from a Catholic perspective. These actions will divide families, divide communities, undermine the rule of law, and increase the numbers of those dying at borders.”

Seitz continues fearlessly: “in the case of this administration, the speed with which these actions are being carried out, the dystopian rhetoric and sharp attitude, the unapologetic belligerence towards neighboring states in the region, the elevation of self-interest as the criterion of legitimacy, and the disregard for the rule of law and due process are without precedent.” He reminds us that in Christian churches, the practice of sanctuary was common for over a millennium. The call to all people of faith now is: protect the anxious and fearful, educate refugees about their rights, offer legal services, accompany to immigration hearings. (“The Living Vein of Compassion,” Commonweal, 6/1/25).

But the Deporter-in-Chief understands only the language of money, not the work of compassion. His “big, shameful bill” added $76 billion to ICE’s 2025 budget of $10 billion, for recruiting more agents and building more detention centers—50 since January 20. Perhaps Mr. Trump (who, ironically, does have a criminal record) could answer the question: why should taxpayers now foot the bill for the airfare and detention of mostly innocent people (70% with no criminal record) yanked from jobs which made them self-supporting?

According to Cal Matters, undocumented immigrants contribute not just their labor; they also pay significantly into the government treasury. In 2022, they paid $8.5 billion in local and state taxes in California, including into programs they can’t draw from. What is true for California must be true in some degree for the rest of the country: the seismic economic effect of mass deportation could inflict billions of dollars in direct damages to small business, agriculture, construction, hospitality and child care. If undocumented immigrants “magically disappear, you’re going to erase 10% of California production,” said Giovanni Peri, professor of international economics at UC Davis. “We’re talking about hundreds of billions of dollars.” (https://calmatters.org/economy/2024/11/trump-deportations-california-economics/)

The video has gone viral of a woman addressing her Republican congressman in Nebraska, presenting a list of similar expenses, then asking, “How much is fascism going to cost us?” As we approach Labor Day, I muse on workers we may take for granted, jeopardized by the Mass Deportation Policy. On our daily walk to her elementary school, my granddaughter and I pass a complex project, which involves big machinery for flood prevention, changing underground pipes and replacing blocks of sidewalk. Unsurprisingly, all the construction workers are Spanish-speaking. They are capable and courteous, hoisting their “Slow” or “Stop” signs to traffic so the children and their caregivers can pass the construction safely. Only a severely distorted lens could see these people as threats to the national security.

Dr. Barbara Holmes writes in Joy Unspeakable, “On this planet, we are all indigenous strangers; some of us just have the good sense to know and embrace this reality.” How many of us are native Americans? Or as Leviticus says, “you too were once aliens.”

 Retreat at Marillac Center, Leavenworth, KS

The Genius of Jesus, The World of Women–Kathy Coffey

October 13 at 4pm (arrive in afternoon)– October 18 after lunch

For more information or to register,

visit https://www.scls.org/prayer-spirituality/marillac-center/

or contact  retreats@scls.org   913-758-6552