Pope Francis eloquently summed up our hopes and desires as immigrants in the U.S. My parents, like so many others, came here in search of better opportunities for me and my siblings. Leaving one’s country is never easy. It was an act of courage and love to leave everything and everyone they knew to try to forge a better life for us.
My heart was happy hearing my Pope say: “We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation. To respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal. We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.””
Unfortunately, too many of our elected officials, especially in Texas, have refused to see us as persons, refused to see our faces or listen to our stories.
This afternoon, we’re taking the Pope’s message to Gov. Greg Abbott, a fellow Catholic. His response to the stranger has been disheartening, from blocking President Obama’s executive action to celebrating the arrest of an undocumented mother seeking medical care. Gov. Abbott’s actions are far from the Pope’s words about being humane, just and fraternal.
We’re not giving up on Gov. Abbott doing the right thing, having a change of heart. Today, we’re joining in prayer outside his meet-and-greet at Ray’s Pizzeria in San Antonio. We understand the challenge of getting Gov. Abbott to reverse course on his treatment of immigrants is an imposing one, but our lives are at a standstill because of his lawsuit. My parents and millions of others remain under the threat of deportation because of him. My family and so many others remain under threat of separation because of him. We can’t give up. If prayer can move mountains, it can move Gov. Abbott, too.
— Jessica Azua, immigration organizer for TOP, San Antonio
Sign the petition urging Gov. Abbott to drop his lawsuit against President Obama’s executive action on immigration by clicking here.