Something that has been in the news recently is the acknowledgement by the Department of Homeland Security that it has implemented a policy of separating families arriving at the U.S./Mexico border. Recently the Most Reverend Joe S. Vasquez, Bishop of Austin (Texas) and Chairman of the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) issued a statement in response to this acknowledgement:
“Forcibly separating children from their mothers and fathers is ineffective to the goals of deterrence and safety and contrary to our Catholic values. Family unity is a cornerstone of our American immigration system and a foundational element of Catholic teaching. ‘Children are a gift from the Lord, the fruit of the womb, a reward.’ (Psalm 127:3) Children are not instruments of deterrence but a blessing from God.
Rupturing the bond between parent and child causes scientifically-proven trauma that often leads to irreparable emotional scarring. Accordingly, children should always be placed in the least restrictive setting: a safe, family environment, ideally with their own families.
My brother bishops and I understand the need for the security of our borders and country, but separating arriving families at the U.S./Mexico border does not allay security concerns. Children and families will continue to take the enormous risks of migration—including family separation—because the root causes of migration from the Northern Triangle remain: community or state-sanctioned violence, gang recruitment, poverty, and a lack of educational opportunity. Any policies should address these factors first as we seek to repair our broken immigration system.”
In 2004, the Catholic bishops of the United States committed to immigration reform as a priority of the U.S. Catholic Church, and to creating a culture of welcome in which all migrants are treated with respect and dignity. A diverse group of Catholic organizations with national networks joined the U.S. Catholic bishops’ Justice for Immigrants Campaign (JFI) in an effort to unite and mobilize a growing network of Catholic institutions, individuals, and other persons of goodwill in support of immigration reform.
Recently Justice for Immigrants published a piece on “Frequently Asked Questions: Unaccompanied Alien Children.” The first frequently asked question was “Why Are Children Forced to Flee?” Here is their response to that question:
· Violence that threatens the lives of citizens in the Northern Triangle (El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala)--coupled with a lack of state protection—is a primary factor propelling the migration of youth from their countries of origin.
· The violence children encounter takes many forms, such as sexual assault by gang members, and domestic and interfamilial violence.
· The Northern Triangle is one of the most dangerous regions in the world. According to data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Honduras ranks first, El Salvador fifth, and Guatemala sixth for rates of homicide globally. The homicide rate in El Salvador in 2015 rose dramatically to 103.1 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.
· The United Nations’ refugee-protection agency (UNHCR) found that the majority of children fleeing the Northern Triangle “were forcibly displaced because they suffered or faced harms that indicated a potential or actual need of international protection.”
· Since 2012, there has been a large increase in the number of unaccompanied alien children (UAC), primarily from the Northern Triangle. From Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 to FY 2012, the number of unaccompanied minor children arriving at our southern border averaged about 19,000. In the past three years, average arrival numbers have climbed to over 55,000. Most recently, in FY 2016, U.S. Border Protection (CBP) apprehended approximately 59,000 UAC at the U.S./Mexico border.
Until next week, when we will continue this discussion,
Fr. John Dillon