Flores Exhibits
Two weeks ago, I attended a learning experience on the Flores Exhibits. We only watched three clips, #4, #50, #57. These clips are testimonials of people detained at the border, read by a variety of people who have concern and connection with immigration.
The Justice Peace and Care for Creation Office of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Ohio Province CHALLENGES you to watch a few of these stories. The Ohio Province Sisters have identified immigration as one of the areas of focus for the JPCC office for many years. There are SNDdeN Sisters, from all three provinces in the US, located at the various places at the US/Mexico border.
Our commitment to marginalized peoples all over the world is evident in the work of SNDdeNs like Sisters Nancy Wellmeier and Maria Olivia Pacheco who work with immigrants fleeing poverty, violence and oppression hoping they can make a living here and feed their families.
This is a call to accompaniment. This is a call to advocacy. We must educate ourselves about both the push and pull factors that cause people to flee to the United States. We must not shy away from the reality of the trauma these young people are experiencing and how that will affect them for the rest of their lives. Trauma from these experiences for these children is long-lasting and well established in the current immigrant population.
They are part of our society right now. They are part of our local community right now.
Teresa Phillips
Director of Office of Justice Peace and Care for Creation
Resources:
- How the Flores Agreement of 1997 came to be. "Home" a poem by Warsan Shire. “You only leave home when home won’t let you stay.”
- The Book of Rosy: A Mother's Story of Separation at the Border. Locally in Cincinnati, the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center has an Immigration Learning Community. The issues of immigration are vast. This community learns about different pieces of the pie. Please also check the Immigrant Dignity Coalition.
- ICE has the ability to release people at any time. They can release them with ankle monitors. They can release them to family or sponsors. There is a movement to release all detainees without a criminal record. Please consider signing this petition.
