Written by: Fransiskus Xaverius Yangminta
Currently Studying at Scalabrini International Migration Institute (SIMI)
Introductory note
Reconciliation in the migration context is a difficult
and an intricate process. From the migration perspective, reconciliation could
be construed both as an intrapersonal or a social type of reconciliation. As an
intrapersonal type, the reconciliation occurs between individual immigrants and
the government. As a social character, reconciliation happens between separated
immigrant families and the government. The context I am referring to here is
the prevalent problem on immigration in the United States. However, it is not
impossible to say that this reflection may apply to family immigration related
issues in other settings. We know that immigration is one of the most
contentious issues in the U.S. today, especially in the aftermath of the Arizona Illegal Immigration Bill (SB
1057), which aims at tracking, identifying, prosecuting, and eventually
deporting unauthorized immigrants in this country. Certainly this system has
consequences including the racial profiling and insecurity within the state.
Consequently, there have been hundreds of thousands of
immigrant families torn apart because of the unjust immigration policy. The
question is whether reconciliation between those separated families and the
government is possible while the unjust immigration policy continues to be
enacted? Is not shackling a family member just for his or her immigration
status a form of criminal act? What happens to the spouse or the children who
are left behind by their parent (s)? How would these broken families cope with
their wounds of separation? Is psychological treatment enough to heal their
deep feelings of anger, resentment, and hate toward the unjust governmental
system or the law enforcers themselves? Can the victims (separated families)
still find trust in the government?
Certainly these are among many other questions related to this issue but
I would like to focus my reflection on the pastoral concern of the divided
families, the victims of this unjust immigration system. As a minister, how can
I help the broken immigrant families cope with their wounds of separation? From a Christian perspective, I believe that
inviting the immigrant families to reflect on Christ’s paschal mystery could be
an effective and meaningful way to help them deal with their pain of
separation. Furthermore, from the side of immigrant families, naming the
wound of separation could be the first stage of the reconciliation process. Having said this, I will now begin my
reflection by defining reconciliation in the context of divided immigrant
families due to the current broken U.S. immigration system. Next, I will
present a case study of a broken immigrant family based on a true story which I
myself have ever witnessed. Then, I will outline some of the Stations of the
Cross which speak about the pains and struggles of immigrants and their
families. Finally, I will conclude with some pastoral implication or recommendations,
especially the significance of the ministry accompaniment for broken immigrant
families.
Understanding
Reconciliation in the context of divided Immigrant Families caused by the
broken U.S. Immigration System.
The number of immigrants in the U.S in recent years
has been escalating even after the implementation of the new Immigration Act.
These immigrants come to this country either as individuals, groups or
families. Some, if not, most of these immigrants have families or relatives
here in the United States. They have various mostly involuntary reasons for
leaving their country such as poverty, socio-political and tribal conflicts,
violence, etc. The data shows that most of the immigrants who come here are for
economic reasons. Unfortunately, the number of undocumented immigrants, most of
whom are immigrant workers, is increasing. The number of deportations is also
skyrocketing. In 2004, there were about two hundred thousand immigrants
deported every year. This number of deportees has escalated up to four hundred
thousand people since 2008. Needless to say very many parents or spouses have
been detained and deported because of their illegal status.
How can reconciliation happen here? Who are these
divided immigrant families reconciling with, the law enforcers or the unjust
system itself? Reconciliation for divided immigrant families means a process of
recovering from the deep wound of separation and of rebuilding hope in a just
and humane immigration system. In other words, it is a process of recovery from
the traumatic experience of seeing a family member (s) leaving for his or her
country with less possibility of coming back. Technically, reconciliation will
take place when, having acknowledged and apologized for the unjust system that
has sometimes been ferociously imposed upon the immigrants, the government
allows the separated families to be reunited. I think that in the process of
reconciliation, what the victims of the system actually demand from the government
is not so much amnesty or apology for what they have done to the families. What
the victims, the broken families need is the reunification of their members.
Obviously, this has something to do with the necessity to repair the
immigration policy, which has been taking years and years. While the
immigration debate is underway, the number of detainees and deportees continues
swelling over the last two years. Coming to reconciliation between broken
families and the government is indeed a long and difficult process.
I
think what makes reconciliation in this case impossible to happen is the
negligence to the fact that removing a member (s) of one’s family ferociously
is a form of social injustice and violence of human rights, the right to live
together as one family. Reconciliation is possible when the government first
and foremost recognize that the immigration policy is broken and needs to be
fixed. Next, the government should also be aware that imprisoning one’s
immigrant family (s) not necessarily because of the crime that one has done but
simply because of one’s illegal immigration status is ethically and politically
unacceptable. Then, the government, the perpetrators in this case, should
listen to the cry of the immigrants and their families, the victims of unjust
immigration policy. As a follow-up action plan, the government should
acknowledge the wrongdoings they have done to the families that have been long
torn apart. This should be pursued by asking for amnesty for what has been
done. Certainly, this is not enough. The most challenging part of the process
of reconciliation from the part of the government would be to have the courage
to change and enact a just immigration system, which guarantees the
reunification of divided immigrant families. In other words, justice has to be
extended beyond acknowledging and asking for judicial or political pardon for
what has been done to the families. One of the members in our group discussion
commented, “You cannot reconcile while abuses are going on.” This also means
that reconciliation cannot happen while family members especially parents are
taken away for their irregular immigration status. Justice for immigrants,
therefore, also means changing the broken immigration system into a just and
humane one.
Although
the above-mentioned reconciliation process sounds unfeasible to many, it is an
important step to regain or rebuild trust between the two parties in order to
minimize the conflicts or violent reactions to the unjust socio-political
structure. As a process of reconciliation, building one’s trust necessitates
telling the truth about what really happened. The immigration law enforcers in
this case, are encouraged to tell the truth regarding the unjust behavior that
has been inflicted upon the unauthorized immigrants and their families. The cry
for peace and justice for immigrants has been a non-violent means for
immigrants and their families to break the silence in the government circles
for their negligence to working towards a
just immigration system. The immigrants’ cry for peace and justice is
also a way to restore their trust in the government. Looking at reconciliation
as a form of healing trust, Robert Schreiter contends, “The restoration of
trust makes possible the fair and equitable relations that mark a truly just
society.”1
The immigrant families’ trust in the government has been tainted by the unjust
system. In order to recuperate this trust, the government then has to enact a
just and humane system that takes into account the need for the reunification
of the scattered members of immigrant families.
Regardless of how the family is socio-culturally
classified, it is a basic unit of society. While others may define family as
extended family, some others define it in terms of a nuclear family. It is to the
latter understanding that I would refer to in this discussion because most, if
not all, immigrants in this country have taken into account the importance of
nurturing family values they have brought with them when they left their
homeland.
A Broken Immigrant Family: A Case Study
On April 2, 2010, the Good Friday of the Lord’s
passion (El Viernes Santo), I went to
the detention center in Hillside, a west suburb of Chicago to join a group of
people in praying the rosary for peace and justice for immigrants and their
families especially those at the detention center. This was actually the second
time I attended this prayer service. There were about fifty people attending
this service including some laymen and women, religious brothers and sisters, a
lawyer, and some Baptists. As usual we prayed in front of the detention
building because the officers would not let us in. In the middle of our prayer,
while reciting the rosary, I was surprised to see four white buses with windows
closed and blocked by a white curtain coming out of the center that morning.
Who were those inside of these buses? I was told that these were detained
immigrants who were being deported to their countries of origin, mostly to
Mexico. I was also told that there were three hundred immigrants deported on
that day. Something strange occurred. While the buses were pulling out of the
center, a woman in her 40s by the name of Martha (her name herein is
hypothetically employed) showed up together with her daughter and son. Martha
rushed into the detention center expecting to bid goodbye to her husband, Jose
(his name herein is hypothetically employed) and give him clothes.
Unfortunately, the sheriffs did not let her in. She cried and pleaded to the
officers if she could get in to meet Jose, her husband, for the last time.
Although she screamed relentlessly, “my husband is not a criminal,” her cry and
effort seemed to be pointless because nobody, even the sheriffs could really
pay attention to her plea. She looked deeply depressed seeing her husband
leaving behind her and her son and daughter. She could not help but keep crying
and eventually go home hopelessly.
Certainly, I felt sorry for Martha’s family painful
experience. Since that morning, I was immediately bothered by these three simple
questions: Will there still be a chance for Jose and Martha and their children
to be together once again? How will Martha and her children cope with their
painful breakup family? As a minister,
what would I do to help Martha and her children strengthen their faith in
Christ in the midst of this tragedy? This “detention scene” and those questions
continue lingering in my memory. This scene made me want reach out to the
immigrant families and offer them a possible path to remedy their wound of
separation. For this reason I will present the following theological reflection
and strategy to cope with this situation.
Reflecting on the Stations of the Cross: A Path to
Heal the Wound of Separation
Inviting divided immigrant families to reflect on the
Way of the Cross can be considered to be an efficacious means to the process of
healing and reconciliation. From a Christian perspective, the Cross is an
integral part of the history of salvation because without the Cross there is no
resurrection and thus no salvation. For this reason, when we commemorate or
participate in the ritual practice of the Stations of the Cross, we do not only
place our sufferings in the sufferings of Christ but also hope for our
liberation from our emotional grudges, vengeance or depression due to the
unjust political system in society. Schreiter puts it in this way, “for a
Christian, placing our story in the story of Jesus is more than a rescue from
destruction. It carries with it the hope that we, too, might share in the resurrection.”2
Undoubtedly this statement sounds difficult to separated immigrant families
like that of Martha and Jose. One might ask how they can experience
resurrection while loneliness embitters their heart and the possibility to
reunite seems beyond their imagination. However, raising this kind of question
on the part of the victims like Martha’s family helps them discover more the
deeper meaning of Christ’s sufferings. It might be good therefore to guide them
in the Stations of the Cross. For our purposes, we shall take a few examples of
the Stations of the Cross including the first,
second, fifth, tenth, and the twelfth, and the fifteenth, all of which
speak to the painful experience of immigrant families. These reflections are
based on the reality of migrants from the South America including Mexico and
other Hispanic-speaking countries huddled into North American shores. They
normally cross the Mexico-U.S. borders.
First Station: Jesus is Condemned to Death (Migrants are “condemned” to leave their homes).
“Now it was the day of
preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here
is your King!” they cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!
Crucify him!” (John 19:14-15).
What crime does Jesus commit that causes him to be
crucified? There is no practical reason or reasonable fact that leads Jesus to
be condemned to death except the fact that he claims to be the Son of Man and
God who has authority on earth to forgive sins. Jesus is therefore innocent.
Likewise, his ministry with the marginalized, the poor, the outcasts, the
prostitutes, and the tax collectors swell up the fury of the Jewish religious
and political leaders.
Relating this to migrants’ life, one asks: Why do
people migrate? Of course, one of the common answers is to find a better life.
This indicates that they face a difficult situation in their own country such
as poverty, lack of opportunities, political unrest, and tribal or social
conflicts. For this reason, they are forced to leave and find a better living
condition somewhere else.
Second Station: Jesus Receives His Cross (Migrants face the risks or costs of their move).
“Pilate said to them,
“shall I crucify your king?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but
Cesar.” Then he handed him over to them to be crucified” (John 19: 15-16).
Having been condemned to death and pronounced innocent
by Pilate, Jesus now undergoes the execution toward his death by carrying the
cross. In receiving the cross, Jesus begins facing courageously evil as evil,
which consequently makes him suffer appallingly. He carries the cross for a
long journey under the scorching heat of the day. The cross is the real symbol
of suffering, humiliation, shame, weakness, and many other obnoxious
expressions we can name. The crucifixion is considered to be the common
execution for criminals. However, for Jesus, the crucifixion means more than a
humiliation or powerlessness. Paradoxically, Jesus sees his cross as a sign of
victory not because he gives up or surrenders himself into the power of evil
but because he confronts it. Jesus confronts evil not with evil or violent
means but with the power of his passion, love and patient endurance in his
suffering.
Migrants are aware of the consequences of their
decision to cross the borders. Christians particularly the migrants see the
cross not as condemnation but a triumph insofar as they are able to endure
whatever suffering entails. Realistically, their journey to the Promised Land
is marked by struggles and difficulties such as lack of food, the pain of
scorching desert, fear of being stalked by the border patrols, the pain of
scorching desert, physical abuses by smugglers, and many more. Encountering
these problems, migrants ask themselves: Are we capable of confronting these
evils? How much patience and endurance do we take to counter evil?
Fifth Station: Simeon Helps Carry the Cross (Migrants need hospitality).
“As they led him away
they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country;
and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus. A large
crowd of people followed Jesus including many women who mourned and lamented
him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for
me; weep instead for yourselves and your children.” (Luke 23:26-28).
Jesus’ journey to Golgotha is a painful and hazardous
journey. He is severely beaten by the soldier that causes the terrible bleeding
in his body. Certainly, Jesus gets exhausted for that long journey and needs
some help. It was Simon of Cyrene, the Father of Alexander and Rufus who
willingly helps Jesus carry his cross.
Migrants likewise need help from whoever they
encounter along the way. Who is Simon of Cyrene for migrants? These are people
of good will who take care of the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of
migrants. We find them at the borders between countries not to assist migrants
to emigrate but help them in their immediate needs like food or shelter for
their arduous journey. They also help those who have been deported and make
sure they go back to their family safe and sound and if possible help find whatever
decent jobs they can possibly do. Some of these people who help include
missionaries who have given their entire lives serving migrants in their
spiritual, psychological and material needs.
Tenth Station: Jesus is Stripped of His Garments (Migrants are stripped of their human rights
and dignity).
“When the soldiers had
crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one
for each soldier” (John 19:23).
With the advent of the restrictive law on immigration,
there are many immigrants in this country, especially the illegal who feel
insecure because the immigration law enforcers keep running after them.
Sometimes they are maltreated and discriminated just because of the color of
their skin. Many of them live in the shadows because of the fear of police
interrogation. In other words, they do not live in freedom in this land of
liberty. Once they are caught for staying illegally, they will be taken into
the detention center for a period of time and eventually be deported to their
country of origin. Regrettably, most of these detainees are parents or spouses.
Their children left behind become orphans or a spouse suddenly becomes a widow
(or a widower). Certainly breaking up a family is violating one’s human rights,
the right to have a family.
Twelfth Station: Jesus Dies on the Cross (Migrants die on the journey and in the foreign
land).
“It was now about
noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while
the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then
Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my
spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last.” (Luke 23: 44-46).
Jesus now is crucified together with two other
criminals in the place called “Golgotha,” the place of the skull.
Geographically, this crucifixion site is located outside the city of Jerusalem.
Golgotha is a public place where criminals are executed by way of crucifixion.
Jesus’ body on the cross is left with open wounds, his palms nailed to the
wooden cross bar, his head crowned with deep thorns which causes some
bleedings, his eyes filled with tears of blood, and his knees are terribly
wounded due to the long and hazardous journey. Reflecting on this excruciating
scene, we ask: How does Jesus come to this point? How can Jesus’ suffering be
comparable to ours?
Migration causes suffering and death. Many migrants
die in crossing the borders for various reasons: they take a long and perilous
journey, the lack of basic needs, the scorching heat of the sun, and the
dreadful cold of the night. Aside from that, their safety is always at risk
because they are daunted by the border patrols. Some disappear in the desert
and are presumably dead. Like Jesus, immigrants are also denounced as criminals
to be imprisoned, and strangers to be feared or aliens to be avoided. How do
immigrants respond to their sufferings and false accusations? Despite of these
accusations, immigrants do not lose hope in holding on to their faith in Jesus
who is the way, the truth and the life. They commend to the Lord all their
trials and struggles in trying to improve their living conditions.
Fifteenth Station: Jesus is Risen (Migrants arise above their excruciating circumstances).
“Now on that same day
two of them were going to a village called Emmaus about seven miles from
Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all the things that had happened.
While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with
them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, ‘What
are discussing with each other while you walk along?’ they stood still, looking
sad. Then one of them whose name was Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only
stranger in Jeruslaem who does not know the things that have taken place there
in these days?’ … Then he said to them, ‘Oh how foolish you are, and how slow
of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary
that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ …
they urged him strongly, saying, ‘stay with us, because it is almost evening
and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them … when he was
at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to
them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him …” (Luke 24-30).
The suffering and death on the cross are not the last
words in Jesus’ journey of salvation. And yet they are an integral part of the
journey to a salvation, the experience of a new life or what we may call the
resurrection. We notice in the above narrative that the risen Jesus who
appeared to be a stranger, is accompanying the disciples in their hopeless
journey to Emmaus. The disciples feel deeply distressed, forlorn, and confused
upon the great loss of their Lord. Talking with the stranger, they find
themselves doubtful until in the breaking of bread, they realize that that
stranger is indeed the risen Lord. Their act of begging Jesus to stay with them
indicates that they really want to reunite with the risen Lord again.
Furthermore, it is in their generous act of offering hospitality and their
active participation in the breaking of the bread that they regain their trust
in the Lord, “that the cup of suffering can be transformed into the cup of
hope.”3
Like
the disciples on the road to Emmaus, migrants sometimes feel distressed and
hopeless when they encounter the pains of migration especially when their human
rights are abused or members of their families are callously taken away from
them. However, most of the time, they find themselves optimistic when they see
people of good will taking their side and fighting together for their human
rights and urging the government to repair the immigration system, which
eventually guarantees the process of reunification of the broken families. The
wound of separation is more of a psychosomatic wound. It is not a physical
wound that is easily medicated but a lasting wound that is caused by the lack
of intimacy. All the broken immigrant families want and hope for is the
reunification with their family members again and forever.
Concluding note: Pastoral Implication (a call to a ministry
of accompaniment)
Reflecting
on the Jesus Passion narrative can be meaningful for broken immigrant families.
It is a way to cope with their experience of sorrow for the great loss of their
family members especially in the case of Martha and her children. As a
minister, I am called to walk with them, pray with and for them, and fight for
their rights. In this ministry of accompaniment, I encourage them to believe
that reflecting on the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus could help
them cope with their wound of separation. I invite them to ponder on the
meaning of Christ’s suffering and how Jesus, in his obedience to the will of
the Father, is able to endure patiently the pains of rejection, mockery, and
humiliation on the cross. Like Jesus on the cross who asks his Father in heaven
to forgive his opponents, the immigrants are encouraged to forgive the
perpetrators, the law enforcers who tear apart the unity of their families. In
doing so, they are hopefully liberated from any resentment, anger, bitterness,
frustration, and revenge so that healing and reconciliation begin to take
place. In addition, by having the courage to endure patiently their suffering,
to hope for the family reunion, to love unconditionally, and to forgive their
perpetrators freely, they actually make sense of what it means to be an
authentic disciple of Christ. Forgiveness, however, does not suggest either the
forgetfulness of what the law enforcers have done to make the families divided
or a sign of their weaknesses. It could serve as a resistance to the unjust
system, which needs to be revitalized.
1 Robert,
Schreiter. “Social and Theological Truth in Peace Building: Resources from our
Faith.” (Tercer Congreso de Reconciliacion Colombia Bogota, Mayo 23 al 25 de
2005) 9.
2 Schreiter’s lecture handout
on “Stations of the Cross,” 1.
3 Robert J. Schreiter, The Ministry of Reconciliation: Spirituality
and Strategies (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1998) 51.
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