Catholic Diocese Tucson

CATHOLIC OUTLOOK 9 JANUARY 2020 J RY 020 Remain in Mexico have access to an attorney. “We are ready and willing to continue to offer hospitality and assistance to migrants and asylum-seekers. Arizona communities have been doing this work for years, and we have the capacity and desire to do so going for- ward,” the KBI statement added. The Tucson City Council memorial, besides asking the federal Department of Homeland Security to suspend expansion of the proto- cols, also asked for more support to organiza- tions providing services or assistance to mi- grant families fleeing persecution and poverty in their countries of origin. Newly-elected Mayor Regina Romero said in an interview with the Arizona Daily Star that Mexico is Tucson’s top trading partner and both sides are working to expand the relationship. Tucson is located about 65 miles north of the Nogales twin cities. Romero also noted that Tucson has a long history of being immigrant friendly. “We have roots for many, many years in the protection of refugees and immigrants, and that we will continue to do,” she told the Star . Meanwhile, national stories continue to catalogue the hardships asylum-seekers face as they cross the Sonoran Desert into southern Arizona. An article in the Washington Post in late November noted that despite the ease of entry in El Paso, Tucson’s crossings exceeded those of its Texas counterpart. The report noted that more than 200 asylum-seekers entered at the remote area of Sasabe, including a group of 129 during a five-hour window one night. The oldest was 56 and the youngest was only 6 months old. In early December, the LA Times wrote about an art exhibit featuring pictures by a janitor who worked at a processing station in Ajo. Tom Kiefer was a professional photog- rapher who worked for the CBP from 2003 to 2014. The article described the photos he took of the items confiscated by Border Patrol from asylum-seekers before being shipped off. Among the items were water bottles, medica- tions, shoes, rosaries, Bibles and love notes. “These objects are sacred and I come from a place of deep reverence and respect,” Kiefer told the Times. Meanwhile, in a Nov. 19 article called “‘A Vertical Wall’: Immigration Enforcement in Mexico,” KBI noted that larger numbers of asylum-seekers are coming through Mexico from other Central American countries, as well as countries from Africa and the Carib- bean. Applications for asylum-seekers entering from Mexico has nearly doubled in 2019, with 54,000 submitted through October, compared with 30,000 in 2018. At the end of Bishop Weisenburger’s state- ment, he asked Catholics to “see all people as one family created in the image of God” and “to walk in solidarity with migrants on their journey. “The Migrant Protection Protocols is a pol- icy that does not provide protection to these most vulnerable people and in fact has placed them in significant danger in cities that cannot adequately assist them. For these reasons I call on others of good will to oppose this policy and to join me in communicating this opposi- tion to our congressional delegation.” The New Colossus BY Emma Lazarus Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. “Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”