June 14, 2025 • 32 mins
On the Ground: Humanitarian Responses to courthouse ICE arrests in El Paso
In this week's update from the Diocese of the Rio Grande, Bishop Michael Hunn speaks with Ana Reza, the Border Chaplain, and Deacon Sondra Jones about the ongoing ICE raids and deportation quotas affecting asylum seekers in El Paso. The discussion highlights Ana and Sondra’s efforts in providing support, prayer, and accompaniment to those facing unexpected detentions despite following all legal procedures. The episode also addresses the emotional and moral consequences for both the immigrant families and the enforcement agents, and calls for community involvement through witnessing, organizing, and peaceful protest.
00:00 Introduction and Weekly Update
00:51 Current Situation in El Paso
00:57 Rapid Response and Legal Observations
03:57 Human Stories and Court Experiences
09:25 Witnessing and Moral Implications
24:05 Call to Action and Ways to Help
31:53 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:08):
Well, hello everybody.
This is Bishop Michael Hunn, and this is a weekly update for the Diocese of the Rio Grande.
And I wanna make sure that you know Ana Reza, who is our diocese of the Rio Grande Border Chaplain, and also Sondra Jones, who is a deacon of the Diocese of the Rio Grande.
And, uh, both of y'all live in El Paso, and I wanted to have a conversation with you both about the work.
(00:32):
You've been doing on the ground.
Everybody has been aware of, and we've all been watching, um, the ICE raids that have been taking place in Los Angeles.
And, um, we are aware of the kind of deportation quotas that are, that are driving ice to, to, um, to look for people in different places.
Tell me what's going on in El Paso.
(00:53):
Maybe Ana, let's start with you.
Gimme the, gimme the big picture.
Um, so we are both part of, I created a, a rapid response signal group.
Um, just 'cause after, um, June 20 we're just so worried that stuff was gonna start happening.
And I'm grateful I did because somebody in that group, uh.
Who works with lawyers told us that they were contacted by the security at the federal building, that something was going on, that they started noticing that um, people would leave their immigration court date and they were surrounded by agents.
(01:26):
So, um, that Right when I heard that, I just, I.
Headed to the courthouse, and I saw it for myself, um, was kind of, yeah.
So let's just make sure everybody remembers like what we're talking about here.
These are, these are not people who are here illegally.
These are not people who have snuck across the border.
These are people who are here legally claiming asylum, and they have a court date, right? They're obligated by the law and the terms of their being in the country.
(01:51):
To check in with the immigration court is, am I right about that? Mm-hmm.
Yes.
Yes.
So they're showing up to their court date.
Um, and this is something that's started happening all over the US that suddenly ICE would show up, um, and the, the judge would dismiss the case.
And Sondra has been there.
(02:11):
Um, she's done the, actually been at court.
I have done more like accompany families as they left the court.
Um, and then also on the ground as.
The, the trains and then just organizing.
That's one thing we're trying to organize, uh, you know, the community itself.
Um, and then our, you know, Episcopalians, um, and right now I just got off a call with Border Hope to try to organize people of faith.
(02:35):
'cause yesterday me and Sondra had a chance, um, to do some praying with people and how necessary is.
But yeah, so that's what's happening is people are going dressed up to their court date, they show up and then this judge.
Dismisses their case.
Once they do that, um, then it opens the doors for ICE.
Arresting them, but we, that hasn't been the case all the time.
(02:56):
I mean, we've seen people who have given them ano, the, the judge gives them, like, there was another man I met at the detention El Paso processing center, who had someone they knew picked up and he said that the judge gave them till September 9th, their next next court hearing, but they still got arrested.
And so it, it will be in detention that if that it gets to September where they will be.
(03:18):
So the ICE agent says you're now, you're gonna be.
Seeking asylum in detention, but you're, you're already in the process of deportation.
So that could happen.
That cannot happen.
I mean, it just depends.
Now they're in the courts as they're in detention.
And right now detention centers are overflowing.
I mean, they're at their capacity and we're starting to hear, um, complaints about, you know, if you're in a place and it's overflowing, it gets very ugly.
(03:45):
Room wise.
Um, cleaning is bathroom, all that stuff.
And that's happening right now because of these, um, arrests.
It's the detention centers are going up.
Mm-hmm.
So, so, um, you, you were talking about how on a part of what you've been doing is accompanying people to their court dates.
Tell, tell me a little bit about that.
(04:05):
I want, I want people to really understand the.
The human stories of the, of, of how this whole thing works.
So in terms of the volunteering that you all that, that you're doing.
So, so one of the things we've noticed, so like I said, the first two, two days when I was going, um, it was really just myself 'cause nobody really knew.
And then after that p you know, there's different organizations that have stepped in and been there like from eight to three every morning.
(04:32):
Um, I had to leave and go to a pilgrimage, but, um, so.
When we started seeing that one thing is, so you see the people out in the lobby waiting.
That's one way.
And yesterday we were able to talk to them and pray with them.
We asked them if it was okay to pray with them, and then they go up and then they have their court date.
And so what we've been able to do is just as they're leaving, um, and even yesterday we did a little more formal and I wanna start doing it and getting some clergy or just people of faith doing this.
(04:59):
Um.
We, we walked in front as they were walking out and I just told Sondra it's something we had done at this pilgrimage.
We just had migration with dignity pilgrimage, and in the prayer vigil we were singing, We Shall Overcome.
So I said, let's sing a song.
And so, so how about that one? Let's do it.
So as we were walking out, we was softly singing, We Shall Overcome.
(05:20):
And again, just being this presence of.
Because a lot of these people really do not.
There's a, some of the lawyers, or they're coming from Modesta, Midland, Albuquerque, some of the lawyers might have told them it's 50 50, especially in here in El Paso, Las Americas Res that you might get detained.
So they're not, and but some, no.
And so they, we hear people leaving, you know, cars downstairs.
(05:43):
Um, you know, we had a couple, um, that got separated from their children 'cause their children were somewhere else.
Um, and so we just.
Walk with people in this sense of tension.
So when we met yesterday with the families and prayed with them, they knew they had already gotten a flyer from some, you know, other organizations downstairs, information that they might get detained.
Um, but once they leave that court and they realize that their case has been.
(06:08):
Dismissed, then that possibility becomes stronger.
And so you start seeing the anxiety, like, um, there was a man that was just walking back and forth, um, feeling caged in.
Um, so it's prayer, just praying with people and being, we, we are, um, we had one of our, uh, co colleagues that we work with, um, Douglas, Douglas Winter, who did go with someone.
(06:28):
Um, and he was like, I need people to be there.
Um, I'm gonna walk with him.
They've asked me to be in the court.
And that's really where we started doing.
Also the court, Monitoring because you can go in, um, again, and it, I think it's so helpful when Deacon Sondra goes, because she has a collar on.
And when we prayed yesterday with the families downstairs, I told them she's gonna be there present, um, and praying, you know, and I, I, it just adds another layer of, of, of that light that God calls us to be.
(06:57):
Um, and.
Um, support and comfort where people are really in a desperate situation and don't know what's gonna happen, where they're gonna go and where their future holds.
'cause they've never been detained.
They, they've been released and been working.
They have driver's license, they have IDs, um, and now they find themselves in this situation that is.
(07:19):
It's heartbreaking.
And to see families, mom, dad, two kids, mom, dad, mom.
I encountered this woman in the bathroom who had two, an infant in her arms and a little girl, and they were detaining her.
I just, I didn't know what to tell her, but I said, is everything okay? And she just had this blank stare of.
No, I don't know what my future looks like.
(07:39):
Um, so just to, just to clarify the legal situation, the, the, they're coming to their court date for a follow up on their asylum process.
Right.
So, so they've claimed asylum, like you say, they've been here legally, they've been working.
They've got driver's licenses.
Their kids are, you know, getting settled.
(07:59):
Like they're, they're in the process of settling here in the United States legally as asylum seekers, as a part of being here legally and doing everything the right way.
They're asked to come to the court to check in, right? So they come to the court checking in.
They don't know now because of the way things are going.
Normally they would come and the judge would hear their case, and then they would either, you know, but now.
(08:24):
It sounds like when the judge dismisses them, then they are here illegally as soon as the judge dismisses their asylum claim.
Is that, am I right about that? Yes.
And that, yes, decision makes them vulnerable to deportation all of a sudden like that in the courtroom.
Am I right? And they have, yes, you're right.
And they have the right to, They have the right to appeal and have like a 30 day appeal, but they're not honoring that.
(08:47):
It's just like, you know, and it might, the judge might give it to 'em, but once they're out there ICE, ICE already comes in with a list of people.
Mm-hmm.
That, that are in that list that.
Will be detained.
Yeah.
I I, it confuses we're, we're trying to get informed ourselves.
'cause that's kind of confusing that even before the court date, there's already a list of who's gonna be detained.
(09:07):
And there are people This morning what I heard, there was a family that was released.
So not everyone, but some days I, I don't, Sondra, have you been in there when, some days it's 33 people and those 33 people were Yes.
Detained.
Yeah.
That was the experience yesterday was everyone was detained.
Sounds like Ana, you've been outside the courtroom, Sondra, you've been inside the courthouse.
(09:29):
Tell, tell us all about that and the sure agents that are there, the, tell us about your experience.
Sure.
So, uh, the, the courts happen here on the seventh floor.
So it's, it's kind of a, an atrium, uh, situation where there's a big open center.
Um, and we can see, uh, the, the, the court monitors gather.
(09:49):
We tend to gather together.
We're looking at the schedules.
The court schedules that are posted for each judge on the bulletin board, uh, were, uh, to see how many people to, to expect.
Uh, we're waiting outside.
They, they've started ad admitting, uh, people into the courtroom if there are no unaccompanied minors.
(10:11):
Uh, so you can sign up to actually be inside the courtroom.
so there tends to be this, um, uh, it, it, this dynamic of ICE agents on one side of the building and us on the other.
It's, it's, uh, it's an uncomfortable situation.
And then there's people in the, the interior of the court waiting, the, the people who are waiting and, uh, you know.
(10:39):
The, the, the hard part, the thing that is so difficult is to watch them walk in and then watch their expressions fall as they realize that they are going to be detained.
And then the tears, uh, and it, it, it, uh, so as Ana described, she was there when.
The, the whole court, uh, tends to end at one time.
(11:03):
So all the people come out of a courtroom at the same time, and ice is there, uh, waiting to take them.
And what happens, um, there, uh, is when, as Ana described, when we began to pray and sing with them, uh, and my experience has been, uh, you know, it's not all.
(11:27):
South American people.
Uh, there's people from all over the world.
Um, we had a, um, uh, um, Senegalese man, uh, that his, um, he, there was no way to be able to communicate with his.
(11:47):
With him.
Uh, there was no, no translator.
Um, and here is where the conversation began about how we need people inside the detention centers who can speak to these folks.
Uh, now it's, it feels like, uh, as these cases progress through the system and as people are being detained, we need people to visit them and, and be present to them in the detention centers now.
(12:13):
Um, so I, like Ana said.
This has been happening now for, you know, what, two weeks, three weeks probably, um, since we became aware of this situation and we're just wrapping our heads around it.
Right? So, uh, different organizations have, have, uh, come in, uh, and began to be involved.
(12:35):
Uh, Border Immigration Law and Justice Center is going to provide some training on how to be a court witness, uh, which.
I'm attending, Ana is, attending tomorrow.
We're, we're trying to like just wrap our heads around what the need is and where we go next, and how do we serve these people in the best way possible.
Um, the, the experience is, I.
(12:59):
Uh, intense on several levels.
First of all, the people and what they're facing, uh, facing detention.
That is, it's, it's hard to communicate to them that they're probably going to be detained and for them to recognize that they really seem to come to court dates, they show up.
(13:20):
Uh.
With hope, you know that their case is going to be heard in a fair and just way.
And they walk out of that courtroom, crestfallen, uh, and, and, and you, you, we experience, we see their grief.
And then on the other side, it's this, uh, the, the, the us and them feeling with the agents who are there.
(13:48):
Um, and as I.
Uh, yesterday I just felt like I had to, I, I couldn't just stay on one side and I had to go and speak with these people who were there, uh, the ICE agents and the FBI agents that were also there and just let them know that, um, you know, we, I, I mean, I don't, as a Christian, I see them as a precious child of God, just like everyone in that building.
(14:18):
And, um, I.
That I, and I let them know.
I pray for you too.
We're praying for you too.
Uh, no matter how you feel about the situation, we're praying for you.
Um, so it, it, it's just a, it, it, you know, the, the, the proximity is very close.
Uh, it fits, can feel very tense at moments.
(14:41):
Um.
And Sondra, tell me a little bit about the agents are, are they, how are they dressed? Oh, they, yes they are.
Um, when we first started going to visit, uh, to witness, they were dressed in street clothes.
They were kind of hard to distinguish, but now they're dressed in their full face mask.
Uh, they are hiding their identity.
(15:03):
And perhaps it's, uh, and I, I know I, you know, I've been there three, four times, uh, over the past few weeks.
And, um, it seems like as more people are gathering at the courthouse, they're getting more covered up, but yes, their, their, their faces are covered.
Um, but, and, but they're in plain, most of them are in plain clothes.
(15:27):
Uh, the FBI agents were in full gear.
Um, the DHS was, that showed up later yesterday.
Were in full gear.
Uh, and they were there apparently to, uh, see the monitor, the situation.
And, um, one of those DHS agents, uh, came out and talked to us about limited, how the court wanted to limit the number of people that can be on the seventh floor at any given time, uh, because of safety concerns.
(16:01):
Um, again, yesterday was a little different because the, there was a, a sizable.
And boisterous, uh, demonstration happening outside the courthouse.
So, um, it, it, it, it started out very quiet with two of us there, right? A couple weeks ago.
And now there's this presence.
(16:21):
So, um, as the presence increases, uh, so does the tension and the, the.
There's need for us to be present, uh, even in the midst of the tension and difficulty of the situation.
Um, and, and, and to honor the humanity of everyone involved.
(16:43):
Right? Exactly, yes.
And about, um, if I'm doing a job where I need to hide my face because I don't want people to know my identity while I'm doing that job.
Mm-hmm.
It makes me think about the, you know, we do a lot of work with military chaplains.
Yes.
And, uh, the soldiers that the, that the chaplains look after.
(17:05):
And, and there's a term called moral injury, which is when you are commanded to do something that, uh, your conscience objects to.
And, um, and.
You know, maybe this is not true for everybody.
There, there may be, there may be ICE agents that are happy for this mission.
Um, but, but having worked with folks with the border patrol for a long time, my sense is that most of the folks got into this 'cause they want to chase criminals and they want to end fentanyl and they want to stop gun trafficking and sex trafficking and that sort of thing.
(17:38):
But, but to be, you know.
When the administration says, we're gonna go after criminals, and what we're really doing is going to the courthouse and deporting families with young children who are not here illegally, but have done everything right.
I mean, it sounds like these, these are not people who have been detained before and they jail broke and ran or something like that.
(18:02):
These are, these are people who have not been detained because they've done everything right and they're here claiming asylum.
Now the shock which you're there to, to witness and to let them know that you see their humanity and that God sees their humanity, they're feeling betrayed it sounds like, by the, by the government and the system that they trusted.
They thought they would get a fair hearing.
(18:24):
They thought that they would be seen as, as a human being and, and now all of a sudden.
On a day, in a moment, they come for the courthouse, they're dressed up for court to make their best case, and then the judge just dismisses the case and, and they're taken to detention.
The one that breaks my heart is like, you know, they, they left their children with someone because they, you know, and then all of a sudden they're being detained.
(18:51):
This kind of situation will have moral consequences for those everybody in that situation and for you all to be there on behalf of the church.
Um, saying prayers, singing, um, just helping everybody in there know that their humanity is being honored and that God is present.
I want to thank you both for your witness.
(19:17):
We'll walk hand.
Hand.
We'll walk my.
(20:02):
One thing I love about Deacon and Sondra is she's always, I'm a deacon.
I'm called to work and serve out in the world.
Um, and just a couple, I wanna just share a couple of stories.
One is, uh, a mom and her 18-year-old Cuban daughter.
They were from co Cuba and they got separated and they had to deal with, you know, we were right there as they were.
Crying and cleaning on.
(20:23):
And the thought is in our government is because she's 18, she's able to handle that.
And I think the judge, even someone who was at the court said, the judge said, you know, you're 18-year-old enough, but are we ever old enough to be in a detention jail? I mean, we always need our family and we always need our community.
And the other was this young, this man who came to, um, wait.
Ana, before you move, let me just be clear.
(20:44):
What I'm hearing you say is, so there's a mother and a daughter.
They went to court together.
They came together and then they were separated, right? So now the 18-year-old is sent off to a different place than her mother is.
Um, and, and, and that's just horrific.
Just as you say, who is ready to be separated like that? Even if you're 18, you know, the law may say you're an adult, but.
(21:11):
But you, you know, you're not ready to handle that by yourself.
I'm not even sure the mother was able to handle that by herself.
Right.
I mean, it's just, anyway heartbreaking.
But you have some other stories and then just, uh, yeah, it was heartbreaking.
And um, and then the other story was this man who came, um, it was his boss.
They work in Odessa and it was his boss and he brought his worker and they detained him.
(21:34):
And then later on I heard they were having conversations with the ICE and the guy was very, I know you guys have a job to do.
I go, he said, but this is such a good person.
I mean, I'm his boss.
He said, I brought him all the way over here.
'cause he's a good person and he does great work.
He, we are losing someone.
That's good.
And he got teary eyed.
I mean, this is someone that probably worked for five months, but he saw the value of, and the passion of this young man and that our government is not seeing of all these people.
(22:03):
And that's what we're missing out is that we know these are our neighbors.
We've worked with them, we've, and we know that they just come here to work and work hard and, and be a.
Productive citizen in our country, that's all they're seeking.
So it's heartbreaking to see that, to see this man come here driving his worker all the way, all the way from Odessa, he is like, it's gonna be a lonely ride back.
(22:24):
He said, yeah.
And I'm like, and it's a lonely ride for that young man.
He was probably in his late twenties.
But those are two stories that, um, have stuck with me.
But there's so many more, and we're learning more as we talk to people and we're present.
That that's why it's important when someone says, how can we help? If you're here, we'll come and be present.
Mm-hmm.
(22:44):
Um, if you're not here, we'll look at organizations that are helping lawyers, um, you know, maybe getting support and asking people this could happen.
Um, and be prepared like we've always said to be, I think be prepared because like I said, that the couple that left their children, there was another couple that was with them and they were like, yeah, they, their car's here, they have all their personal belongings and.
(23:07):
You know, and just afraid, like, what about their children? And we heard, I think as one of them was a US born child and the other one wasn't.
Um, so just again, mixed families.
Even within, um, these most recent, uh, people that are coming in to seek asylum, I.
And just to, just to underline, these are not criminals.
These are not people arrested with fentanyl on 'em, or they're not people running guns.
(23:29):
They're not being human trafficked.
These are the people who did it the right way, and they're in the system showing up for their court date as they were asked to do, and they're working here.
Their boss is, is supporting them by driving them to the, to the court date.
I mean, if you're under the impression that what's going on right now is ICE is fighting crime, that's not what's happening.
(23:51):
We are deporting not what we're seeing.
Not what we're seeing.
We're here legally, and they are, they're working and they're families and they're hard workers.
Yeah.
It's important for people to understand that.
Well, so what? One other thing I wanted to, I wanted to talk to you all about is my, my hunch is that people seeing this throughout the Episcopal church may, may want to come and help.
(24:13):
And, uh, and, and I want to say that, you know, we, we do have shelter space in El Paso.
You can come and join us, um, to, to work as a witness and to come and see it is, it is emotionally difficult work.
But we believe in the risen Christ.
And, uh, the place where you stay is a church where you can pray.
There's a community here of, of faithful Episcopalians who, um, care about both the ICE agents and the people being deported and the judges and, and the attorneys and everybody involved.
(24:45):
We understand the, the.
Pinch that everybody is in, but we are here to witness and to help the country understand what's happening because of this policy that is, that is happening.
And, and you're welcome to come and join us.
Um, we'll, we'll, uh, how, how can they, how can they contact us? What's the best way? Um, they could contact me either through email, which is a, and can find it on our, um, website, diocese rg.org.
(25:13):
Definitely.
If you want to come visit, please do.
Um, and if where you're at, like, let's say, um, Albuquerque, um, but I, like I said, most people are coming from Albuquerque, so I don't know if that's the same thing happening, but wherever you're at, and if you're not.
In our diocese, and because I know a lot of people are not they tune in to, to hear this message that you share with us, um, is find out what organizations are doing this work or just go to the courthouse and start watching and then you can, what what we've been doing is learning about the schedules.
(25:43):
This is stuff we don't, we didn't know about, but we kind of learn as we're going.
Um, and there's even a training now happening, um, tomorrow, right through, uh, another organization.
Um, and that's awesome.
Um, you know, so continue to the value I just talked to the, to, um, you know, two faith groups and we're gonna try to see a vigil because like I kept thinking if we can't have PE and this, I'm inspired by what's going on in la um, inspired by the clergy that are showing up and being present because in places of not just.
(26:14):
The migrants that are going through this, um, trauma, the agents, the, the, the security that works there, even the staff in that building, I thought, you know, we can offer some prayer and just say, Hey, you know, during their lunch, let's pray.
I know there's a lot of protesting and the people that show up because we have a lot of young people that are coming that are, you know, that know that this isn't right.
(26:36):
But there's a lot of anger and how do we channel that to, um, to become the best that.
Um, can help our, our country.
'cause we wanna, all of us want the best for our country.
This is why we're here.
This is why we're witnessing.
Because again, like I mentioned, um, people, these are people that have been working in our communities and making our communities better.
(26:57):
I mean, I just had a young man that decided to leave.
He just left at midnight and he said, I can't handle it because people here think I'm a criminal.
He got an ankle bracelet and it just, you know, it just, it, it, we're not.
They're not criminals and we're treating these innocent people like criminals.
And it's, they're facing, you know, this dilemma of being seen as criminals and it's an ugly thing to, to be looked at.
(27:20):
Um, and then the next step is then dehumanizing.
And we know what happens when people are dehumanized.
Um, and so we gotta be so careful and I think this is the chance, um, or, you know, to stand up for.
For what is right, the truth.
Um, because if we don't, it might be too late because when we're out there standing up, we might get arrested and we don't have that voice anymore.
(27:42):
Um, that's what gets me nervous because there is a lot of picture taking from us.
And I've told the officials, look, you're taking a, I'm trying to wear a mask.
I go, but you're taking a picture of me and you might put my life in danger later on, not knowing right now.
And I am an innocent, just a citizen speaking out, but later on that file of mine could put me in jail just because I stood up and, and, and, and spoke out for the truth.
(28:04):
And so that, that kinda worries me as they do that.
I, and I've, I've asked them like, please don't do that, but that they have their job to do.
Um, and now I wear a mask and.
I, I miss as, but I am who I am.
I'm Ana Reza, and that's, you know, you, you know where to find me.
I'm not trying to hide who I am.
I'm just a person trying to bring the light of God to others, um, and asking you all to come and join us, um, and do that.
(28:26):
Yeah.
Well, a couple of really important things that I just wanna underline that, that you said, um, because there's, there's another, there's another action that can be taken, which is to write to your members of Congress to write to the White House to talk about what.
Is happening and to protest against it.
I do not think it is, it is unreasonable for American citizens to expect their government to differentiate between criminals and workers, between people who are doing crime.
(28:54):
I mean, when, when I'm, if you're, if you're driving in your car and you're going to work and you have a license to drive, you should not be afraid of the police.
If you're doing crime now, you should be afraid of the police, right? So I want the police out there.
I want law enforcement happening, but I should not be afraid if I'm not doing anything wrong.
Right? And what's happening right now is particularly if you're here as an asylum seeker, if you have a green card, if you have a Hispanic sounding surname or you're a person of color, you are more likely to feel afraid that you're gonna be.
(29:27):
Stopped and questioned or, um, or, or if you have a green card that, that when you go to your court date, that it'll be revoked and you'll be deported.
So I think it is important for us to write to our Congress people and say, we demand as American citizens, that the government differentiate between criminals and non-criminals.
I think that's an important point that can be made.
(29:49):
And, and also that we take responsibility to make sure that the freedom of speech continues to be, to be exercised.
That that, you know, if you're rioting and burning cars and stuff, that's crime.
But if you're assembling peacefully.
Making your voices heard.
If you are praying, if you are witnessing, if you are singing, these are not crimes.
(30:12):
And it's important that we not as American citizens, allow peaceful protests to be seen as criminal activity because it's not.
And I think it's really important that we underline, we are calling for peaceful, protest against unjust government actions.
And we can do that as the United States.
As United States citizens, we can stand up in this moment.
(30:33):
So, so I think there's a lot of things you can do.
You can find the immigration court that's closest to you and get involved by going to that court as an American citizen to, to go and witness.
Uh, if you have a group that wants to put together a rapid reaction, um, group Ana Reza can help you see how that is done and connect you with.
(30:55):
Training that might be able to happen remotely for your group.
So that's you.
You can write your Congress people, you can contact Ana, and she can help you with putting together a rapid reaction force to help you organize in your community.
And if you'd like to come and stay with us.
You can join us in this ministry.
We are looking for people lay and ordained, um, who are willing to, to come and witness and, uh, and, and walk with people in this very vulnerable position.
(31:24):
Um, so if you'd like to do that, you can go to, the Rio Grande Borderlands.
If you just Google Rio Grande Borderlands, you'll find our website.
You can find contact information there and, and, and how to get involved with us.
We will continue to keep you involved and to let you know what's actually happening because the news isn't necessarily cover covering this.
Um, but we wanna make sure that you understand exactly what is happening in the United States and, uh, what's happening in the Diocese of the Rio Grande.
(31:53):
Sondra Ana, thank you for the faithful work you are doing.
We will keep you in our prayers and we'll keep supporting you in the work that you're doing.
Thank you Bishop, and thank you Ana for all of your hard work and for bringing this to, uh, my attention and to all of our attention.
Well, thank you.
Like I said, for the leadership in our diocese, for the, um, you know, the Episcopalians that have come and already visit us, um, and are open and always willing to help and anyone who's interested, we're always welcome.
(32:25):
All we are asking is for those that have compassion, love, uh, for all.
Really, like I said, for the migrants, for those working there.
Um, because we have to remember our humanity and how hard it is in this system, but grateful for all of you.
Continue to pray and get involved as Bishop has outlined, um, because it's our call and the time is now.
Well, hello everybody.
This is Bishop Michael Hunn, and this is a weekly update for the Diocese of the Rio Grande.
And I wanna make sure that you know Ana Reza, who is our diocese of the Rio Grande Border Chaplain, and also Sondra Jones, who is a deacon of the Diocese of the Rio Grande.
And, uh, both of y'all live in El Paso, and I wanted to have a conversation with you both about the work.
(00:32):
You've been doing on the ground.
Everybody has been aware of, and we've all been watching, um, the ICE raids that have been taking place in Los Angeles.
And, um, we are aware of the kind of deportation quotas that are, that are driving ice to, to, um, to look for people in different places.
Tell me what's going on in El Paso.
(00:53):
Maybe Ana, let's start with you.
Gimme the, gimme the big picture.
Um, so we are both part of, I created a, a rapid response signal group.
Um, just 'cause after, um, June 20 we're just so worried that stuff was gonna start happening.
And I'm grateful I did because somebody in that group, uh.
Who works with lawyers told us that they were contacted by the security at the federal building, that something was going on, that they started noticing that um, people would leave their immigration court date and they were surrounded by agents.
(01:26):
So, um, that Right when I heard that, I just, I.
Headed to the courthouse, and I saw it for myself, um, was kind of, yeah.
So let's just make sure everybody remembers like what we're talking about here.
These are, these are not people who are here illegally.
These are not people who have snuck across the border.
These are people who are here legally claiming asylum, and they have a court date, right? They're obligated by the law and the terms of their being in the country.
(01:51):
To check in with the immigration court is, am I right about that? Mm-hmm.
Yes.
Yes.
So they're showing up to their court date.
Um, and this is something that's started happening all over the US that suddenly ICE would show up, um, and the, the judge would dismiss the case.
And Sondra has been there.
(02:11):
Um, she's done the, actually been at court.
I have done more like accompany families as they left the court.
Um, and then also on the ground as.
The, the trains and then just organizing.
That's one thing we're trying to organize, uh, you know, the community itself.
Um, and then our, you know, Episcopalians, um, and right now I just got off a call with Border Hope to try to organize people of faith.
(02:35):
'cause yesterday me and Sondra had a chance, um, to do some praying with people and how necessary is.
But yeah, so that's what's happening is people are going dressed up to their court date, they show up and then this judge.
Dismisses their case.
Once they do that, um, then it opens the doors for ICE.
Arresting them, but we, that hasn't been the case all the time.
(02:56):
I mean, we've seen people who have given them ano, the, the judge gives them, like, there was another man I met at the detention El Paso processing center, who had someone they knew picked up and he said that the judge gave them till September 9th, their next next court hearing, but they still got arrested.
And so it, it will be in detention that if that it gets to September where they will be.
(03:18):
So the ICE agent says you're now, you're gonna be.
Seeking asylum in detention, but you're, you're already in the process of deportation.
So that could happen.
That cannot happen.
I mean, it just depends.
Now they're in the courts as they're in detention.
And right now detention centers are overflowing.
I mean, they're at their capacity and we're starting to hear, um, complaints about, you know, if you're in a place and it's overflowing, it gets very ugly.
(03:45):
Room wise.
Um, cleaning is bathroom, all that stuff.
And that's happening right now because of these, um, arrests.
It's the detention centers are going up.
Mm-hmm.
So, so, um, you, you were talking about how on a part of what you've been doing is accompanying people to their court dates.
Tell, tell me a little bit about that.
(04:05):
I want, I want people to really understand the.
The human stories of the, of, of how this whole thing works.
So in terms of the volunteering that you all that, that you're doing.
So, so one of the things we've noticed, so like I said, the first two, two days when I was going, um, it was really just myself 'cause nobody really knew.
And then after that p you know, there's different organizations that have stepped in and been there like from eight to three every morning.
(04:32):
Um, I had to leave and go to a pilgrimage, but, um, so.
When we started seeing that one thing is, so you see the people out in the lobby waiting.
That's one way.
And yesterday we were able to talk to them and pray with them.
We asked them if it was okay to pray with them, and then they go up and then they have their court date.
And so what we've been able to do is just as they're leaving, um, and even yesterday we did a little more formal and I wanna start doing it and getting some clergy or just people of faith doing this.
(04:59):
Um.
We, we walked in front as they were walking out and I just told Sondra it's something we had done at this pilgrimage.
We just had migration with dignity pilgrimage, and in the prayer vigil we were singing, We Shall Overcome.
So I said, let's sing a song.
And so, so how about that one? Let's do it.
So as we were walking out, we was softly singing, We Shall Overcome.
(05:20):
And again, just being this presence of.
Because a lot of these people really do not.
There's a, some of the lawyers, or they're coming from Modesta, Midland, Albuquerque, some of the lawyers might have told them it's 50 50, especially in here in El Paso, Las Americas Res that you might get detained.
So they're not, and but some, no.
And so they, we hear people leaving, you know, cars downstairs.
(05:43):
Um, you know, we had a couple, um, that got separated from their children 'cause their children were somewhere else.
Um, and so we just.
Walk with people in this sense of tension.
So when we met yesterday with the families and prayed with them, they knew they had already gotten a flyer from some, you know, other organizations downstairs, information that they might get detained.
Um, but once they leave that court and they realize that their case has been.
(06:08):
Dismissed, then that possibility becomes stronger.
And so you start seeing the anxiety, like, um, there was a man that was just walking back and forth, um, feeling caged in.
Um, so it's prayer, just praying with people and being, we, we are, um, we had one of our, uh, co colleagues that we work with, um, Douglas, Douglas Winter, who did go with someone.
(06:28):
Um, and he was like, I need people to be there.
Um, I'm gonna walk with him.
They've asked me to be in the court.
And that's really where we started doing.
Also the court, Monitoring because you can go in, um, again, and it, I think it's so helpful when Deacon Sondra goes, because she has a collar on.
And when we prayed yesterday with the families downstairs, I told them she's gonna be there present, um, and praying, you know, and I, I, it just adds another layer of, of, of that light that God calls us to be.
(06:57):
Um, and.
Um, support and comfort where people are really in a desperate situation and don't know what's gonna happen, where they're gonna go and where their future holds.
'cause they've never been detained.
They, they've been released and been working.
They have driver's license, they have IDs, um, and now they find themselves in this situation that is.
(07:19):
It's heartbreaking.
And to see families, mom, dad, two kids, mom, dad, mom.
I encountered this woman in the bathroom who had two, an infant in her arms and a little girl, and they were detaining her.
I just, I didn't know what to tell her, but I said, is everything okay? And she just had this blank stare of.
No, I don't know what my future looks like.
(07:39):
Um, so just to, just to clarify the legal situation, the, the, they're coming to their court date for a follow up on their asylum process.
Right.
So, so they've claimed asylum, like you say, they've been here legally, they've been working.
They've got driver's licenses.
Their kids are, you know, getting settled.
(07:59):
Like they're, they're in the process of settling here in the United States legally as asylum seekers, as a part of being here legally and doing everything the right way.
They're asked to come to the court to check in, right? So they come to the court checking in.
They don't know now because of the way things are going.
Normally they would come and the judge would hear their case, and then they would either, you know, but now.
(08:24):
It sounds like when the judge dismisses them, then they are here illegally as soon as the judge dismisses their asylum claim.
Is that, am I right about that? Yes.
And that, yes, decision makes them vulnerable to deportation all of a sudden like that in the courtroom.
Am I right? And they have, yes, you're right.
And they have the right to, They have the right to appeal and have like a 30 day appeal, but they're not honoring that.
(08:47):
It's just like, you know, and it might, the judge might give it to 'em, but once they're out there ICE, ICE already comes in with a list of people.
Mm-hmm.
That, that are in that list that.
Will be detained.
Yeah.
I I, it confuses we're, we're trying to get informed ourselves.
'cause that's kind of confusing that even before the court date, there's already a list of who's gonna be detained.
(09:07):
And there are people This morning what I heard, there was a family that was released.
So not everyone, but some days I, I don't, Sondra, have you been in there when, some days it's 33 people and those 33 people were Yes.
Detained.
Yeah.
That was the experience yesterday was everyone was detained.
Sounds like Ana, you've been outside the courtroom, Sondra, you've been inside the courthouse.
(09:29):
Tell, tell us all about that and the sure agents that are there, the, tell us about your experience.
Sure.
So, uh, the, the courts happen here on the seventh floor.
So it's, it's kind of a, an atrium, uh, situation where there's a big open center.
Um, and we can see, uh, the, the, the court monitors gather.
(09:49):
We tend to gather together.
We're looking at the schedules.
The court schedules that are posted for each judge on the bulletin board, uh, were, uh, to see how many people to, to expect.
Uh, we're waiting outside.
They, they've started ad admitting, uh, people into the courtroom if there are no unaccompanied minors.
(10:11):
Uh, so you can sign up to actually be inside the courtroom.
so there tends to be this, um, uh, it, it, this dynamic of ICE agents on one side of the building and us on the other.
It's, it's, uh, it's an uncomfortable situation.
And then there's people in the, the interior of the court waiting, the, the people who are waiting and, uh, you know.
(10:39):
The, the, the hard part, the thing that is so difficult is to watch them walk in and then watch their expressions fall as they realize that they are going to be detained.
And then the tears, uh, and it, it, it, uh, so as Ana described, she was there when.
The, the whole court, uh, tends to end at one time.
(11:03):
So all the people come out of a courtroom at the same time, and ice is there, uh, waiting to take them.
And what happens, um, there, uh, is when, as Ana described, when we began to pray and sing with them, uh, and my experience has been, uh, you know, it's not all.
(11:27):
South American people.
Uh, there's people from all over the world.
Um, we had a, um, uh, um, Senegalese man, uh, that his, um, he, there was no way to be able to communicate with his.
(11:47):
With him.
Uh, there was no, no translator.
Um, and here is where the conversation began about how we need people inside the detention centers who can speak to these folks.
Uh, now it's, it feels like, uh, as these cases progress through the system and as people are being detained, we need people to visit them and, and be present to them in the detention centers now.
(12:13):
Um, so I, like Ana said.
This has been happening now for, you know, what, two weeks, three weeks probably, um, since we became aware of this situation and we're just wrapping our heads around it.
Right? So, uh, different organizations have, have, uh, come in, uh, and began to be involved.
(12:35):
Uh, Border Immigration Law and Justice Center is going to provide some training on how to be a court witness, uh, which.
I'm attending, Ana is, attending tomorrow.
We're, we're trying to like just wrap our heads around what the need is and where we go next, and how do we serve these people in the best way possible.
Um, the, the experience is, I.
(12:59):
Uh, intense on several levels.
First of all, the people and what they're facing, uh, facing detention.
That is, it's, it's hard to communicate to them that they're probably going to be detained and for them to recognize that they really seem to come to court dates, they show up.
(13:20):
Uh.
With hope, you know that their case is going to be heard in a fair and just way.
And they walk out of that courtroom, crestfallen, uh, and, and, and you, you, we experience, we see their grief.
And then on the other side, it's this, uh, the, the, the us and them feeling with the agents who are there.
(13:48):
Um, and as I.
Uh, yesterday I just felt like I had to, I, I couldn't just stay on one side and I had to go and speak with these people who were there, uh, the ICE agents and the FBI agents that were also there and just let them know that, um, you know, we, I, I mean, I don't, as a Christian, I see them as a precious child of God, just like everyone in that building.
(14:18):
And, um, I.
That I, and I let them know.
I pray for you too.
We're praying for you too.
Uh, no matter how you feel about the situation, we're praying for you.
Um, so it, it, it's just a, it, it, you know, the, the, the proximity is very close.
Uh, it fits, can feel very tense at moments.
(14:41):
Um.
And Sondra, tell me a little bit about the agents are, are they, how are they dressed? Oh, they, yes they are.
Um, when we first started going to visit, uh, to witness, they were dressed in street clothes.
They were kind of hard to distinguish, but now they're dressed in their full face mask.
Uh, they are hiding their identity.
(15:03):
And perhaps it's, uh, and I, I know I, you know, I've been there three, four times, uh, over the past few weeks.
And, um, it seems like as more people are gathering at the courthouse, they're getting more covered up, but yes, their, their, their faces are covered.
Um, but, and, but they're in plain, most of them are in plain clothes.
(15:27):
Uh, the FBI agents were in full gear.
Um, the DHS was, that showed up later yesterday.
Were in full gear.
Uh, and they were there apparently to, uh, see the monitor, the situation.
And, um, one of those DHS agents, uh, came out and talked to us about limited, how the court wanted to limit the number of people that can be on the seventh floor at any given time, uh, because of safety concerns.
(16:01):
Um, again, yesterday was a little different because the, there was a, a sizable.
And boisterous, uh, demonstration happening outside the courthouse.
So, um, it, it, it, it started out very quiet with two of us there, right? A couple weeks ago.
And now there's this presence.
(16:21):
So, um, as the presence increases, uh, so does the tension and the, the.
There's need for us to be present, uh, even in the midst of the tension and difficulty of the situation.
Um, and, and, and to honor the humanity of everyone involved.
(16:43):
Right? Exactly, yes.
And about, um, if I'm doing a job where I need to hide my face because I don't want people to know my identity while I'm doing that job.
Mm-hmm.
It makes me think about the, you know, we do a lot of work with military chaplains.
Yes.
And, uh, the soldiers that the, that the chaplains look after.
(17:05):
And, and there's a term called moral injury, which is when you are commanded to do something that, uh, your conscience objects to.
And, um, and.
You know, maybe this is not true for everybody.
There, there may be, there may be ICE agents that are happy for this mission.
Um, but, but having worked with folks with the border patrol for a long time, my sense is that most of the folks got into this 'cause they want to chase criminals and they want to end fentanyl and they want to stop gun trafficking and sex trafficking and that sort of thing.
(17:38):
But, but to be, you know.
When the administration says, we're gonna go after criminals, and what we're really doing is going to the courthouse and deporting families with young children who are not here illegally, but have done everything right.
I mean, it sounds like these, these are not people who have been detained before and they jail broke and ran or something like that.
(18:02):
These are, these are people who have not been detained because they've done everything right and they're here claiming asylum.
Now the shock which you're there to, to witness and to let them know that you see their humanity and that God sees their humanity, they're feeling betrayed it sounds like, by the, by the government and the system that they trusted.
They thought they would get a fair hearing.
(18:24):
They thought that they would be seen as, as a human being and, and now all of a sudden.
On a day, in a moment, they come for the courthouse, they're dressed up for court to make their best case, and then the judge just dismisses the case and, and they're taken to detention.
The one that breaks my heart is like, you know, they, they left their children with someone because they, you know, and then all of a sudden they're being detained.
(18:51):
This kind of situation will have moral consequences for those everybody in that situation and for you all to be there on behalf of the church.
Um, saying prayers, singing, um, just helping everybody in there know that their humanity is being honored and that God is present.
I want to thank you both for your witness.
(19:17):
We'll walk hand.
Hand.
We'll walk my.
(20:02):
One thing I love about Deacon and Sondra is she's always, I'm a deacon.
I'm called to work and serve out in the world.
Um, and just a couple, I wanna just share a couple of stories.
One is, uh, a mom and her 18-year-old Cuban daughter.
They were from co Cuba and they got separated and they had to deal with, you know, we were right there as they were.
Crying and cleaning on.
(20:23):
And the thought is in our government is because she's 18, she's able to handle that.
And I think the judge, even someone who was at the court said, the judge said, you know, you're 18-year-old enough, but are we ever old enough to be in a detention jail? I mean, we always need our family and we always need our community.
And the other was this young, this man who came to, um, wait.
Ana, before you move, let me just be clear.
(20:44):
What I'm hearing you say is, so there's a mother and a daughter.
They went to court together.
They came together and then they were separated, right? So now the 18-year-old is sent off to a different place than her mother is.
Um, and, and, and that's just horrific.
Just as you say, who is ready to be separated like that? Even if you're 18, you know, the law may say you're an adult, but.
(21:11):
But you, you know, you're not ready to handle that by yourself.
I'm not even sure the mother was able to handle that by herself.
Right.
I mean, it's just, anyway heartbreaking.
But you have some other stories and then just, uh, yeah, it was heartbreaking.
And um, and then the other story was this man who came, um, it was his boss.
They work in Odessa and it was his boss and he brought his worker and they detained him.
(21:34):
And then later on I heard they were having conversations with the ICE and the guy was very, I know you guys have a job to do.
I go, he said, but this is such a good person.
I mean, I'm his boss.
He said, I brought him all the way over here.
'cause he's a good person and he does great work.
He, we are losing someone.
That's good.
And he got teary eyed.
I mean, this is someone that probably worked for five months, but he saw the value of, and the passion of this young man and that our government is not seeing of all these people.
(22:03):
And that's what we're missing out is that we know these are our neighbors.
We've worked with them, we've, and we know that they just come here to work and work hard and, and be a.
Productive citizen in our country, that's all they're seeking.
So it's heartbreaking to see that, to see this man come here driving his worker all the way, all the way from Odessa, he is like, it's gonna be a lonely ride back.
(22:24):
He said, yeah.
And I'm like, and it's a lonely ride for that young man.
He was probably in his late twenties.
But those are two stories that, um, have stuck with me.
But there's so many more, and we're learning more as we talk to people and we're present.
That that's why it's important when someone says, how can we help? If you're here, we'll come and be present.
Mm-hmm.
(22:44):
Um, if you're not here, we'll look at organizations that are helping lawyers, um, you know, maybe getting support and asking people this could happen.
Um, and be prepared like we've always said to be, I think be prepared because like I said, that the couple that left their children, there was another couple that was with them and they were like, yeah, they, their car's here, they have all their personal belongings and.
(23:07):
You know, and just afraid, like, what about their children? And we heard, I think as one of them was a US born child and the other one wasn't.
Um, so just again, mixed families.
Even within, um, these most recent, uh, people that are coming in to seek asylum, I.
And just to, just to underline, these are not criminals.
These are not people arrested with fentanyl on 'em, or they're not people running guns.
(23:29):
They're not being human trafficked.
These are the people who did it the right way, and they're in the system showing up for their court date as they were asked to do, and they're working here.
Their boss is, is supporting them by driving them to the, to the court date.
I mean, if you're under the impression that what's going on right now is ICE is fighting crime, that's not what's happening.
(23:51):
We are deporting not what we're seeing.
Not what we're seeing.
We're here legally, and they are, they're working and they're families and they're hard workers.
Yeah.
It's important for people to understand that.
Well, so what? One other thing I wanted to, I wanted to talk to you all about is my, my hunch is that people seeing this throughout the Episcopal church may, may want to come and help.
(24:13):
And, uh, and, and I want to say that, you know, we, we do have shelter space in El Paso.
You can come and join us, um, to, to work as a witness and to come and see it is, it is emotionally difficult work.
But we believe in the risen Christ.
And, uh, the place where you stay is a church where you can pray.
There's a community here of, of faithful Episcopalians who, um, care about both the ICE agents and the people being deported and the judges and, and the attorneys and everybody involved.
(24:45):
We understand the, the.
Pinch that everybody is in, but we are here to witness and to help the country understand what's happening because of this policy that is, that is happening.
And, and you're welcome to come and join us.
Um, we'll, we'll, uh, how, how can they, how can they contact us? What's the best way? Um, they could contact me either through email, which is a, and can find it on our, um, website, diocese rg.org.
(25:13):
Definitely.
If you want to come visit, please do.
Um, and if where you're at, like, let's say, um, Albuquerque, um, but I, like I said, most people are coming from Albuquerque, so I don't know if that's the same thing happening, but wherever you're at, and if you're not.
In our diocese, and because I know a lot of people are not they tune in to, to hear this message that you share with us, um, is find out what organizations are doing this work or just go to the courthouse and start watching and then you can, what what we've been doing is learning about the schedules.
(25:43):
This is stuff we don't, we didn't know about, but we kind of learn as we're going.
Um, and there's even a training now happening, um, tomorrow, right through, uh, another organization.
Um, and that's awesome.
Um, you know, so continue to the value I just talked to the, to, um, you know, two faith groups and we're gonna try to see a vigil because like I kept thinking if we can't have PE and this, I'm inspired by what's going on in la um, inspired by the clergy that are showing up and being present because in places of not just.
(26:14):
The migrants that are going through this, um, trauma, the agents, the, the, the security that works there, even the staff in that building, I thought, you know, we can offer some prayer and just say, Hey, you know, during their lunch, let's pray.
I know there's a lot of protesting and the people that show up because we have a lot of young people that are coming that are, you know, that know that this isn't right.
(26:36):
But there's a lot of anger and how do we channel that to, um, to become the best that.
Um, can help our, our country.
'cause we wanna, all of us want the best for our country.
This is why we're here.
This is why we're witnessing.
Because again, like I mentioned, um, people, these are people that have been working in our communities and making our communities better.
(26:57):
I mean, I just had a young man that decided to leave.
He just left at midnight and he said, I can't handle it because people here think I'm a criminal.
He got an ankle bracelet and it just, you know, it just, it, it, we're not.
They're not criminals and we're treating these innocent people like criminals.
And it's, they're facing, you know, this dilemma of being seen as criminals and it's an ugly thing to, to be looked at.
(27:20):
Um, and then the next step is then dehumanizing.
And we know what happens when people are dehumanized.
Um, and so we gotta be so careful and I think this is the chance, um, or, you know, to stand up for.
For what is right, the truth.
Um, because if we don't, it might be too late because when we're out there standing up, we might get arrested and we don't have that voice anymore.
(27:42):
Um, that's what gets me nervous because there is a lot of picture taking from us.
And I've told the officials, look, you're taking a, I'm trying to wear a mask.
I go, but you're taking a picture of me and you might put my life in danger later on, not knowing right now.
And I am an innocent, just a citizen speaking out, but later on that file of mine could put me in jail just because I stood up and, and, and, and spoke out for the truth.
(28:04):
And so that, that kinda worries me as they do that.
I, and I've, I've asked them like, please don't do that, but that they have their job to do.
Um, and now I wear a mask and.
I, I miss as, but I am who I am.
I'm Ana Reza, and that's, you know, you, you know where to find me.
I'm not trying to hide who I am.
I'm just a person trying to bring the light of God to others, um, and asking you all to come and join us, um, and do that.
(28:26):
Yeah.
Well, a couple of really important things that I just wanna underline that, that you said, um, because there's, there's another, there's another action that can be taken, which is to write to your members of Congress to write to the White House to talk about what.
Is happening and to protest against it.
I do not think it is, it is unreasonable for American citizens to expect their government to differentiate between criminals and workers, between people who are doing crime.
(28:54):
I mean, when, when I'm, if you're, if you're driving in your car and you're going to work and you have a license to drive, you should not be afraid of the police.
If you're doing crime now, you should be afraid of the police, right? So I want the police out there.
I want law enforcement happening, but I should not be afraid if I'm not doing anything wrong.
Right? And what's happening right now is particularly if you're here as an asylum seeker, if you have a green card, if you have a Hispanic sounding surname or you're a person of color, you are more likely to feel afraid that you're gonna be.
(29:27):
Stopped and questioned or, um, or, or if you have a green card that, that when you go to your court date, that it'll be revoked and you'll be deported.
So I think it is important for us to write to our Congress people and say, we demand as American citizens, that the government differentiate between criminals and non-criminals.
I think that's an important point that can be made.
(29:49):
And, and also that we take responsibility to make sure that the freedom of speech continues to be, to be exercised.
That that, you know, if you're rioting and burning cars and stuff, that's crime.
But if you're assembling peacefully.
Making your voices heard.
If you are praying, if you are witnessing, if you are singing, these are not crimes.
(30:12):
And it's important that we not as American citizens, allow peaceful protests to be seen as criminal activity because it's not.
And I think it's really important that we underline, we are calling for peaceful, protest against unjust government actions.
And we can do that as the United States.
As United States citizens, we can stand up in this moment.
(30:33):
So, so I think there's a lot of things you can do.
You can find the immigration court that's closest to you and get involved by going to that court as an American citizen to, to go and witness.
Uh, if you have a group that wants to put together a rapid reaction, um, group Ana Reza can help you see how that is done and connect you with.
(30:55):
Training that might be able to happen remotely for your group.
So that's you.
You can write your Congress people, you can contact Ana, and she can help you with putting together a rapid reaction force to help you organize in your community.
And if you'd like to come and stay with us.
You can join us in this ministry.
We are looking for people lay and ordained, um, who are willing to, to come and witness and, uh, and, and walk with people in this very vulnerable position.
(31:24):
Um, so if you'd like to do that, you can go to, the Rio Grande Borderlands.
If you just Google Rio Grande Borderlands, you'll find our website.
You can find contact information there and, and, and how to get involved with us.
We will continue to keep you involved and to let you know what's actually happening because the news isn't necessarily cover covering this.
Um, but we wanna make sure that you understand exactly what is happening in the United States and, uh, what's happening in the Diocese of the Rio Grande.
(31:53):
Sondra Ana, thank you for the faithful work you are doing.
We will keep you in our prayers and we'll keep supporting you in the work that you're doing.
Thank you Bishop, and thank you Ana for all of your hard work and for bringing this to, uh, my attention and to all of our attention.
Well, thank you.
Like I said, for the leadership in our diocese, for the, um, you know, the Episcopalians that have come and already visit us, um, and are open and always willing to help and anyone who's interested, we're always welcome.
(32:25):
All we are asking is for those that have compassion, love, uh, for all.
Really, like I said, for the migrants, for those working there.
Um, because we have to remember our humanity and how hard it is in this system, but grateful for all of you.
Continue to pray and get involved as Bishop has outlined, um, because it's our call and the time is now.
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