I have a friend named Ana. She comes to the ESL class that I help teach every week. She is from Mexico. I’m told that she escaped a really bad family situation to move to the US, though I don’t know the details. She works as a housekeeper at a hotel and has lived in the US for 10-11 years. She’s trying to learn English and I’ve been helping her. She’s a kind and caring woman. She’s funny and shares jokes in our class. Every week, she asks us to pray for her brother who is an alcoholic. We had a Valentine’s Day Party, and she generously brought a delicious cake from a Mexican bakery that I so enjoyed.
She hasn’t been in the class for a few weeks. We’ve been trying to figure out what’s been going on. Someone told us she was depressed, and we’ve been worried about her emotional health. We called her last week and her phone was disconnected, which is even more disturbing, so we asked another friend in the class who lives near her to go and check on her.
We found out tonight that she’s in jail. She was arrested at work by immigration services for using a fake social security number, as were many other people at her workplace, yet they were not arrested. I guess she is currently an undocumented immigrant. Her friend told us that her partner paid a $2500 bail, but she was arrested again or remained in jail, and now they’re asking for a $10,000 bail. There’s so much that we don’t know, but we’re trying to find out more, and we’re going to connect her with lawyers and help her and her family however we can.
Don’t try to tell me this is justice, that she broke the law and she deserves this punishment. Laws can be unjust. None of that changes my care and concern for my friend. I want her to be released. I want to her to be able stay in the US – legally, where she has so long worked and paid taxes and made friends. The country who’s language she wants to learn. I long to see her and hug her and rejoice with her that she’s been released, and then I’ll be the one to buy the cake to celebrate.
I’m so angry at our broken immigration system. I’m angry that families are separated, that children are punished for the decisions of their parents, that undocumented immigrants are regularly financially and sexually exploited, that politicians and leaders speak in racist terms, that police won’t investigate the murder of a black teenager, that people call our president the n word, that racist white people won’t share the peace of Christ with their Latino brothers and sisters in church or will threaten their pastors to try to make the brown people leave their churches.
I’m also angry that my boyfriend has all kinds of restrictions on his student visa, whereas other people from his country are legally allowed to stay and work for years. I’m angry that his parents can’t come visit him because they’ve already been denied a visa in the past because they applied the legal way. I’m angry that the system makes it so hard for people to legally move here, to legally visit here, that so many people don’t even bother.
There’s a lot that’s not fair and unjust and a lot that doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t know what the solutions are, but I know that if we keep treating people that like they’re less than human, like they’re potential criminals, or terrorists, or burdens on our society, then we won’t get anywhere. I’m sad that people forget that we all cry the same tears, we all bleed the same blood. I’m sad that people can’t see the worth of other humans, that they don’t see how others dreams and desires, how others and skills and talents and new perspectives to offer that can enrich our families and communities and churches and schools
I’m thankful that I serve a God of reconciliation, a God that welcomes sinners to his Kingdom, regardless of their background, their status. A God of justice who will set the world right and who invites us to share in that process too. I’m thankful to know so many people who do care about immigrants and refugees, people who are fighting for reconciliation and justice in so many ways – ministers, professors, students, lawyers. I’m thankful that my friend Jose was released from jail and is working toward citizenship, that he was reunited with his wife and daughter and our church family.
I’m heartbroken that my friend is sleeping in a jail cell tonight. But I’m hopeful that I will see her again.
KC in KC . . . and beyond 
Wow! That’s so heart-breaking. I’m so glad that she has someone so loving and kind to support her and try to help her.
I get frustrated about these things, too. I think another thing that we need to remember is that most of our ancestors immigrated here, too. We’re all looking to live the best life we can.
I don’t know what the answer is about immigration. I must say that there are a lot of illegal immigrants here that I don’t think deserve to be. These are the people that have no interest in learning English, contributing to the community, paying taxes, etc… I know that there are a lot of barriers to becoming a legal immigrant (though I honestly don’t know all that much about it, I do know that it’s not an easy process). But, there is a difference between those that truly want to be here and improve the lives of themselves and their families… and those that want the perks of being here, but aren’t willing to do their part to be here (paying taxes, applying for citizenship, learning English, etc…) – don’t get me wrong, there are legal citizens that want the perks without the responsibility, too… I don’t agree with that either.
Anyway, I truly hope your friend is able to become a legal immigrant. She’s blessed to have a loving God and a caring friend on her side.