Washington, DC – This week, the Interfaith Immigration Coalition, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, Side With Love (an initiative of the Unitarian Universalist Association), and the #WelcomeWithDignity campaign hosted a virtual event, “Heal Not Harm: Restore Asylum Now!” to kick off two weeks of call-in days to Congress to defend the right to seek asylum and put an end to asylum-blocking Title 42. The powerful gathering convened just hours before Haitian leaders and Black-led immigrant rights organizations held a press call in response to a recent Customs and Border Protection (CBP) report that downplayed their abusive treatment of Haitian migrants.
In recent weeks, members of Congress have introduced and attempted to pass legislation that would keep Title 42 in place, possibly indefinitely, which undermines our nation’s longstanding commitment to protecting people fleeing persecution and would disproportionately harm Black, Indigenous, and LGTBQ+ migrants. At the “Heal Not Harm” event, interfaith leaders and directly-impacted speakers shared critical updates on the current state of access to asylum, the devastating impact of Title 42 on those seeking refuge, and ways to get involved in the two weeks of action to halt congressional efforts to maintain Title 42.
Asylum seekers, faith leaders and communities, human rights groups, and advocates urge Congress to stand with immigrants and reject any legislative efforts—from stand-alone bills to amendments on must-pass legislation—to keep Title 42 in place.
Recording available here or on Facebook. Speakers listed below.
“I don’t have anything in Haiti, so if I got deported at the border—my wife, all of us—we would have nothing to go back to,” said Daniel*, a Haitian asylum-seeking father held in detention under Title 42. “There were five of us: myself, my wife, three children, and my wife was pregnant. I had my wife come to the US and I stayed with our son, who is seven years old, on the Mexican side. When my wife came, she was underneath the bridge and there were a lot of people forced to stay under the bridge. At that time, pregnant women, children—they were all deported. I was afraid they would be deporting my wife and other two kids.
I wanted us to be together, so I went to a border town that had a big river. I was afraid of the water, which went up to my neck. Me and my son, we went through the water, and there were many other Haitians there. The agent took us to prison… and we were handcuffed. We had chains on our feet, shackles on our feet. I was handcuffed right in front of my son. That was the first time that had ever happened to me. Handcuffed, shackled. That was very sad for me. My son looked at me and cried. He said to me, ‘Why are you chained?’ I said, ‘We are going to be deported. That’s why.’
In Haiti, bandits and gangs are giving people a hard time. They killed our president. We don’t even have a government. There is no political stability. Kids can’t go to school, we can’t work, there are no leaders. The people who suffered the most are the ones who come to the border. I said to myself, ‘there is no one to speak for us, no one to represent us. They don’t do this to the people from other nations, so why us?’
If nobody talks about that experience with Title 42, no one will know. We lived it, and now some people are dead. Title 42 gives them a carte blanche to do whatever they want. So please do away with Title 42. It is an abuse of the law. If the government keeps Title 42, it’s not good for the Haitian community. We want a good Samaritan to keep an eye on us and try to make things better at the US border.”
“I’m Kenyan born of Indian heritage. It is fate and grace that has brought me to this country, having traversed many borders, and on the way encountering people who welcomed the stranger,” said Merwyn De Mello, member of the Franciscan Action Network. “Borders separate and divide. The journeys of our immigrant guests across the thousands of miles, fraught with danger and pain, are laden with trauma. We are called to invite, to welcome, to be instruments that help heal the pain, and most importantly, to challenge and dismantle structures, systems, and policies that harm, exclude, and discriminate. Let us put our God-bestowed power to that awesome effect.”
“In 2019, there was a large influx in migration, and instantly, both our [San Antonio] city manager and our mayor opened their arms and said, ‘it’s the right thing to do to welcome people here,’ because we practice the ethic of reciprocity—to welcome others in ways that we wish to be welcomed in our own lives,” said Rev. Dr. Ann Helmke, Faith Liaison, Department of Human Services, San Antonio. “After the 53 lives were lost in the semi-truck, within less than twelve hours, groups came together for a prayer vigil at the site where it occurred… The next night, advocacy groups stepped forward and called together a rally… and the following night was the memorial mass that the Catholic Archbishop led … [We are called to] engage in ways that you would want others to engage on your behalf.
May we take action today. May we choose just one thing today that will make a difference, as we would hope and pray that someone would take action for us… May we remember the stories, the truths that we have heard today. as we hope and pray that our lives will be remembered as well.”
“I left my country in 2018. There was extreme sexual violence in my country. That is the reason I preferred to leave because I wanted to secure my life, my identity, my family,” said Sofi*, a Cameroonian asylum-seeking mother who was stuck at the border under title 42. “When I left my country, I crossed through Nigeria. When I was in Nigeria, the military of my country decided to arrest all Cameroonians. At that time, all the Cameroonians that were arrested—the military killed them.
[At the US-Mexico border,] I was on the waiting list to enter the US, but I arrived at the same time that COVID started. Ex-President Trump closed the border. I was number 141,777 on the waiting list. I decided to help the people because many people were on the streets, sick, not working… I decided to volunteer. I became a community organizer of African people. I learned Spanish. I went to school. I learned and tried. I decided to give my time, my love to help vulnerable people because I knew what was the migrant life, because I am a migrant, too. By the grace of God, I brought my children and finally crossed into the US this month. Really, my love is the big story, it’s the bestseller… Now, I am here. I am safe, with my children.”
“Many of the Trump-era policies that undermine our moral and legal commitments to welcome asylum seekers continue to be in place,” said Melina Roche, from the Welcome With Dignity campaign. “Title 42 uses the pandemic as an excuse to expel people back to Mexico or to their country of origin before they can seek asylum. ‘Remain in Mexico’ forces asylum seekers to wait in Mexico, in dangerous conditions, while they conduct their asylum cases… Combined, these policies have essentially closed the border to all those seeking safety… In Congress, lawmakers are attempting to pass bills that would codify Title 42 into place, and most recently, GOP Senators introduced a bill that would codify Title 42 and Remain in Mexico into law. These legislative efforts are extremely dangerous, as they would close the border to asylum seekers indefinitely… [We must] ensure that we move towards healing and restoring our US asylum system to one that is welcoming and dignified.”
“As a person of faith, I come to this event feeling both sorrow and anger about how much pain exclusionary government policies, such as Title 42, have caused asylum seekers,” said Susan Krehbiel, Presbyterian Church USA. “And yet, I also come with the conviction of my faith teaching to be an agent of healing and hope… May our sorrow and anger not turn us to despair. May you find strength in your own faith and in the company of witnesses gathered here today that together—people forced to migrate and their allies—we can make our voices heard to restore asylum.”
Event speakers:
- Daniel*, Haitian asylum-seeking father held in detention under Title 42
- Sofi*, Cameroonian asylum-seeking mother who was stuck at the border under title 42
- Rev. Ranwa Hammamy, Unitarian Universalist Association
- Hannah Hafter, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
- The Rev. Dr. Ann Helmke, Faith Liaison, Department of Human Services, San Antonio
- Rabbi Laura Rumpf, T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
- Merwyn De Mello, Franciscan Action Network
- Susan Krehbiel, Presbyterian Church USA
- Melina Roche, Welcome With Dignity
- Kristin Kumpf, American Friends Service Committee
- Giovana Oaxaca, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
*a pseudonym
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of over 55 national, faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual. In partnership, we work to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all refugees and migrants. Follow us on Twitter @interfaithimm
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