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| Detention |
Until this morning, all he'd known of this country was the inside of a jail, and an occasional courtroom. But today, because of the collaboration between the ACLU and the UCC and the Seacoast Interfaith Sanctuary Coalition, because of bonds of cooperation and courage, this man was released. Released into a community. Released into a country. Released into a landscape of spring, and budding trees and blooming flowers.
Bolstered by a lively team of church friends, I drove to the ICE processing center in Burlington, MA, welcomed our friend to a new chapter of life, loaded his few belongings in my car, and drove him to a hotel in Portsmouth. He'll spend 14 days there, in quarantine, to be sure he's healthy and well. And then a lovely church family will take him to their home, for the summer, with every hope that ACLU laywers will make it possible for him to get refugee status here in the US.
A couple of things hit me hard today: his story and his gratitude. He left his family behind two years ago, and has spoken to them just a couple of times since. He has three children, just 14, 12 and 8. And he has endured all this isolation, the insanity of Trump's immigration policy played out in human terms; and still he weeps with gratitude for the opportunity to build a life of freedom, service and good will in the US. As we sat in the parking area at ICE this morning, his sobbing was sacramental: a sign of the deepest kind of spirit, the holiest kind of feeling and gratitiude. All I could say was: "Yes." Yes. Yes. Yes. After weeks and months of worry, and all the angst this virus (and government) bring to our lives every day...it was so unbelievably refreshing, so healing, to be in the presence of such emotion, such gratitude and such resolve. He was happy. I was healed.
I'm stunned by the network that's made this happen: the building of power, the expanded capacity for action and service. If we're going to turn this country around, if we're going to redeem our immigration system from its diabolical present, we simply must build this kind of power. It's the power of faith-based groups (AFSC, GSOP, UCC, UUA) working with civil and human rights groups (ACLU and others) to think and act strategically, to join forces and push on the levers of power, and to activate democratic participation among our constituents and members. We won't change this country's entrenched sin by waving or tweeting at it. We will only change and restore and repent and renew our democratic traditions by buliding institutions, developing relationships, investing in relational power--and then acting and learning and acting again together. No quick fixes. Just organized people.
So let's get it on!
(What a great birthday it's been!)
