Last Tuesday, March 20, the Wildcats amassed in front of the Peace Pole outside St. Rita’s Hall for a special vigil held by the Office of Mission and Ministry. Students and faculty from all walks of life attended “Vigil in Solidarity with Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migrants,” an event that drew attention to various injustices against American citizens. Regardless of where they were born, the fact remains that America’s children are suffering.
The vigil was led by Brian McCabe, Director of Spirituality & Outreach; John Edwards, Director of Resident Ministry and Rev. Julia Sheetz from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS).
“It was important for us to begin outside to stand together, to show our support, concern and outrage,” McCabe said to attendees.
The attendees participated in renditions of Warsan Shire’s poem Home and SI7’s Lord, you have come to the seashore. Afterwards, they proceeded as a group into the Corr Hall Suite, where volunteering students detailed stories about American citizens who had been threatened and oppressed due to the federal government’s agenda towards immigrants. The following atrocities that were shared were all related to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
Yolanda Perez is an immigrant from Los Angeles, California who, despite having no criminal record, was arrested and detained by ICE just for being an unauthorized immigrant. During her detention, she was unable to care for her daughter who was fighting bone cancer.
Emine Emanet is a beloved neighbor and local business owner of Jersey Kebab in Camden County, New Jersey. ICE raided her restaurant and detained her and her husband simply for being Turkish immigrants. They have since been released, but their initial arrest was met with outrage across their local community.
Ulises Pena Lopez from Sunnyvale, California was violently attacked and hospitalized by ICE as part of a targeted immigrant enforcement operation. He was separated from his wife and child and still remains in a detention center, where he is currently being denied medication. Maria Gonzalez from Denver, Colorado was also separated from their children upon being unfairly detained by ICE.
Mahmoud Khali is a permanent U.S. resident and community advocate in New York City who also works as a Palestinian activist. As one of the primer participators in Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian campus occupations, he was detained on campus and remains behind bars.
Jocelyn Rojo Carranza from Gainesville, Texas, is an 11-year-old girl who took her life to escape the bullying she received from her classmates. They would harass her constantly, saying things about how ICE would come to take her parents away and leave her all alone.
Jose Jaimes from Trenton, Michigan is a father of five who has lived in the U.S. for 30 years, and he was separated from his family on his way to drop his son off at school.
In addition, citizens originally from Puerto Rico who immigrated to the U.S. and served our country as veterans can be detained by ICE.
“I think that ashamed isn’t even a strong enough word. It’s reprehensible,” senior Akintade Asalu said at the vigil. “We need to be united. These are all connected issues.”
Three of the students who graciously lent their aid in setting up the event were sophomores Jasmine Irizarry and Alejandra Galarza and freshman Mariana Brenes.
“It’s become more than ‘Are you American or not?’ because people who might not look American are affected, too,” Irizarry said.
Indeed, it is not just Hispanic people, just Turkish people or just Arabian people. As each of the women shared, diverse peoples that the United States claims to celebrate and welcome are at risk of being beaten, detained and deported just for being who they are. The goal of this event was to gather more allies and spread awareness so students can support and empathize.
“Nobody here and nobody anywhere doesn’t have anything they can’t offer to build up a better world,” McCabe said to attendees.
With all this information in mind, it becomes clear that there is a mountain of work for Villanovans to do. In time, we shall overcome.
