Bending the Arc

Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life offered yet another wonderful conversation on December 4. Latino Leaders gathered for “Making Life Unbearable: The Impacts of Immigration Enforcement on Families and Communities.” If you missed it, the recording is now available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9C1OfFPXL8

A version of the recording with Spanish subtitles will be available on the dialogue’s webpage next week. You can view other resources from the dialogue here.

“The fear is something that has honestly shaken the community to our core, and it's a fear that follows you. It follows you everywhere. Into your kitchen, into your workplace, into your church. And you see it a lot. We've seen a lot of the raid activity. At one point it was every single day, back to back. You would open up social media and hundreds of sightings, hundreds of recordings. We've seen helicopter raids, apartment complexes being raided while families were sleeping. Babies being zip tied in the middle of the night. Hundreds of warrantless arrests. My home parish back at home was surrounded by federal officers during the Mass service, and just imagine the fear of the people who are there in hopes of having some sense of community in a place that feels safe, in a place that unites us where we're united, where we're together. That was deteriorated.”

—Roxana Rueda Moreno, community leader at Iskali, in the December 4 Latino Leader Gathering on “‘Making Life Unbearable’: The Impacts of Immigration Enforcement on Families and Communities.