“I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
–Gospel of Matthew 25:35
When I lived in Texas between 2018 and 2023, I frequently went into Mexico to help people who had been deported from the U.S. I would help them get food, shelter, and transportation to somewhere remotely safe where they might still have family or friends.
I can’t overstate the fear and life-threatening danger those individuals experienced. That initial moment of entering a country they've been deported to is a horror. You're left in a random city, in a country where you likely have no people and no support, without any identification, money, or resources. The cartels patrol those areas looking for people to abduct, to kidnap, to hold ransom.
We–the United States–do this to people who've lived quiet lives within our borders; people who were trying to put food on the table for their families. Those arguing for deportation use the language of laws and justice: "Those who commit a crime must do the time," we’re told. But what’s the appropriate amount of time for the crime of trying to survive? I can’t think of any action heinous enough to justify the terrors this country exacts on undocumented people.
Even as I volunteered during those years, I realized that I was under-qualified. I speak Spanish poorly; I know very little about international law. On paper, I wasn’t the best person to do that work. I always said I'd be happy to make connections for more qualified people; it didn’t have to be me. But I wasn’t going to stop doing it if other people didn’t show up.
It turns out that what I needed most was compassion: the ability to listen to people, and a willingness to do simple things like drive people to medical appointments, bring food to people, look after them.
That skill set–offering compassion and concrete help in response to fear and disruptive power–is something that many of us can do. It is a profoundly simple thing to put love at the center. If resistance to injustice takes the form of offering assistance to those most in need, almost all of us can help our neighbors.
Prayer
Beloved Spirit, may we remember our shared humanity to all people. In remembrance, may our hearts be kindled to a deep love. May this love inspire us to reach beyond walls and barriers to provide care, and to shield all our neighbors from hate and oppression.