Speakers address immigration

POMPTON LAKES  Many people from Honduras are heading north to the southern border of the United States to escape the hardships that they suffer in their native Central American homeland — from extreme poverty and a lack of economic opportunity to political repression, various types of violence and environmental degradation.

On the night of Sept. 10, Sister Janice Jolin of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, painted striking portraits of the many Hondurans who seek to emigrate to the U.S., as one of three dynamic speakers who gave clear perspectives of the crisis at the border during a presentation about the heated issue of immigration, “The Narrow Golden Door: A New Moment of Truth?” at St. Mary Parish here. She talked about the poverty of the Hondurans that she saw on a recent mission trip to their country. Franciscan Father Larry Hayes, St. Mary’s parochial vicar, read and reflected on excerpts of Pope Francis’ recent message for the 105th World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2019. Jim Andreano, a Third Order Secular Franciscan and a member of North Jersey Interfaith Cares, spoke about reasons that immigrants flee and about the complicated and “broken” immigration system in the U.S., which has been a subject of concern for many years.

That night in St. Mary’s Carnevale Center, the speakers also sought to inspire the concerned Catholics in the audience to discern ways for the Franciscan-run parish to respond to immigration crisis that people are facing around the world. Participants, many of them already involved in social-justice work, divided into groups to discuss their ideas immediately after the presentation, which was sponsored by St. Mary’s Social Justice Ministry. Sister Janice closed her talk with a portion of Pope Francis’ message for the Feast of the Assumption in 2017.

“The Lord entrusts to the Church’s motherly love every person forced to leave their homeland in search of a better future. This solidarity must be concretely expressed at every stage of the migratory experience — from departure through the journey to arrival and return. In this regard I wish to reaffirm that our shared response may be articulated by four verbs: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate,” said Sister Janice, quoting the Pontiff. “Our Pope is joined at the heart [with immigrants]. Let’s also be a voice for them,” she said.

In her slide presentation, Sister Janice called Honduras a “beautiful place” rich in natural resources with “many beautiful people, especially children, who hope for a future.” She visited there, as well as El Salvador and Guatemala, during the 2019 Interfaith Pilgrimage to examine the root causes for their migration. These three nations make up the so-called Northern Triangle, a region that those seeking asylum in the U.S. are fleeing. The Honduran people suffer poverty and a lack of economic opportunity in part at the hands of an oligarchy of 12 families that control its political system and the economy. Many people work in “sweat shop” factories under pressure to produce but earn only half of wages they need to live. They also suffer violence — in the home, from gangs and from the government. Many fight for their rights, even if political oppression there discourages them from doing so. A lack of environmental stewardship has caused land to dry up due to over-farming and water has become contaminated, Sister Janice said.

Andreano said that some migrants leave their homelands, enticed by the “pull factor:” a desire to leave for their new nation for a better life and to assimilate there — “driven by aspiration.” However, most immigrants who arrive at our southern border, are motivated by the “push factor:” a need to leave their homeland for economic, political or safety reasons with dreams of returning and desire to protect their culture — “driven by desperation.” Andreano then discussed the four ways that migrants can enter legally: employer-based immigration, family-based immigration, the diversity lottery and refugee or asylee status.

“Are we a society that wants to deter immigration by building walls — both physical and psychological — and deny people status and benefits? These will never deter the people who face the pull factors. We must address the causes that force migrants to leave in the first place,” Andreano said.

In his talk, Father Hayes gave the event a theological context by quoting from and reflecting on Pope Francis’ message for the 105th World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2019. “When we show concern for them, we also show concern for ourselves, for everyone; in taking care of them [migrants], we all grow; in listening to them, we also give voice to a part of ourselves that we may keep hidden because it is not well regarded nowadays,” the Pope said, as quoted by Father Hayes. By welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating migrants in the immigration process, Pope Francis said, we “help build the city of God and man.”

Some speakers encouraged audience members to get involved in organizations and initiatives on behalf of immigrants. Father Hayes urged them to talk among themselves to “come up with concrete action — when God is calling us to do something about the situation on the border.”

One participant was Jeanne Michaud, a member of St. Mary’s Social Justice Ministry. “I already have the passion. The talks supported what I already know about immigration. I hope that we can come together to help the plight of these people. We have to help them,” Michaud said.