By Natalie Romano
Armed with a sign that says “God Welcomes All,” Yolanda joins the line of interfaith marchers advocating for immigrant rights.
While many in the crowd are smiling or singing, the parishioner from St. Anthony’s in Riverside looks somber. That’s because she’s thinking about her deceased fiancé.
Yolanda says he lived here, worked here, paid taxes here but since he did not have legal status, also faced discrimination here.
“Just because you aren’t born with the same opportunities, doesn’t make you less of a human being,” explained Yolanda, who didn’t want to give her last name for privacy reasons. “And I think people who were born in the U.S. should realize they’re blessed…I came out today because I feel like everyone should be treated equally and fairly.”
That sentiment was repeated often at “Walking for Immigrant Justice,” an interfaith event held on April 12th in downtown Riverside. More than 300 people of diverse religious backgrounds turned out to publicly support immigrants- regardless of status. The march comes in wake of President Donald Trump’s executive orders that have led to mass deportations as well as concerns from local faith leaders about human and civil rights.
“Walking for Immigrant Justice” marks the first interfaith gathering the diocese has organized in nearly a decade and consequently the first ever with Bishop Rojas at the helm.
Rabbi Emerita Suzanne Singer of Temple Beth El, Riverside, Imam Mahmoud Harmoush of the Riverside Islamic Center and Reverend George Lamb of Living Way Christian Fellowship joined Bishop Rojas in heading the procession that kicked off with speeches at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Statue and closed with a prayer service at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church.
As an immigrant, himself, Bishop Rojas shared how his family moved from Mexico to the U.S. in the 1980’s, noting it was an easier process at that time. He went on to urge government officials to use their power with compassion.
“May those in authority turn away from the evils of prejudice, fear and racism,” prayed Bishop Rojas. “God, please touch the heart and the mind of the President of the United States and all the members of the Congress.”
In addition to the deportations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) held nearly 48,000 people in detention, at press time. This according to Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) of Syracuse University. The non-profit data gathering organization says around 46 percent of those had no criminal record.
Dr. Enrique Murillo was among the many marchers critical of those imprisonments.
“Innocent folks with no criminal history are being questioned, detained. So there’s millions of folks throughout the United States who are living in fear,” said Dr. Murillo, Professor of Education, California State University, San Bernardino. “...[This administration needs to] reverse all the executive orders that have been placed. There’s better time spent on comprehensive immigration control, sensible immigration control.”
Margarita, a parishioner at St. Catherine of Alexandria in Riverside also wants to see policy change because it took her family members a decade to get here legally.
“Immigrants contribute a lot to this country whether it’s through labor or creating jobs with small businesses,” said Margarita, who didn’t want to give her last name for privacy reasons. “How are you going to grow your economy, get workers here to do the jobs that people don’t want to do if it takes them 10 years to get here?”
A strong belief in social justice compelled Mark Miller from 29 Palms to make the two hour drive to Riverside. The candidate for the diaconate in our diocese says the interfaith aspect of the march makes it all the more powerful.
“This tells the larger community that people of faith are united behind the immigrant community on this issue. I think that’s important,” said Miller, Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 29 Palms. “It also communicates to immigrants that the faith community is offering them a safe place to come and feel welcome.”
Diocesan leaders coordinated the event because they wanted to put faith back into focus amongst all the political rhetoric.
“With the immigration policies being carried out by the current administration, it’s obviously a critical time for our Church to bear public witness to the God-given dignity and worth of every human person, whether they are documented or not,” said John Andrews, Vice Chancellor and Director of Communications for the diocese. “Walking with brothers and sisters of other faith traditions and joining together in prayer seemed like the most authentic way to do that.”
Just last month, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in conjunction with other religious groups, released a report citing concerns about the impact of mass deportations on Christian families. The report says 80% of immigrants at risk for deportation identify as Christian with 61% of those being Catholic. The USCCB is calling for fair immigration policies that acknowledge the significance of every life while recognizing that all nations have the right to regulate their borders.
The one mile procession route eventually took marchers off the streets and into the pews of St. Francis De Sales. During the prayer service, the faith leaders spoke of the important figures and movements from their religious heritage that mirrored the struggles of immigrants today.
Rabbi Singer, whose mother emigrated here after surviving the Holocaust, highlighted the Passover holiday which started that night.
“As Jews, we celebrate not only the liberation of the Hebrew slaves from oppression and cruelty but the rituals help us to cultivate empathy,” explained Rabbi Singer. “We are supposed to see ourselves as though we had been slaves in Egypt and this should give us greater understanding of what it means to be an immigrant, an asylum seeker or a refugee.”
In spirit of the interfaith event, cantors from Temple Beth El spontaneously joined Catholic musician Jacob Escovedo during the singing of “Amazing Grace” before performing a song from the Passover Seder.
After the prayer service, attendees enjoyed more music and lunch outside.
Parishioner Mary Romig believes the walk delivered an important message to those feeling uncertainty.
“The message is hope and we must keep hope alive.”
Natalie Romano is an award-winning freelance writer based in Southern California.