“Migrants are Not Criminals” Says Jesuit Network Responding to Caravan
BY ISN STAFF | October 16, 2018
“Migrants are not criminals,” sums up the message of the Jesuit Migration Network of Central America (Red Jesuita Con Migrantes Centroamérica) and other Catholic partners in Central America whom issued a statement today regarding the caravan of at least 1,500 people who left San Pedro Sula, Honduras, seeking refuge from violence and economic poverty in their home country with an end goal of seeking asylum in the United States.
Yolanda González, a coordinator of the Jesuit Migration Network of Central and North America, welcomes delegates from across the region as the network meeting began earlier this week.
The Jesuit Migration Network of Central America issued the statement in the midst of an annual meeting with migration partners from the United States and Canada, taking place in San Salvador, El Salvador. They called on governments in the region to fulfill “their responsibility to guarantee the fundamental rights of migrants in transit and provide a comprehensive and humanitarian solution.
In the U.S., President Donald Trump responded with harsh words for the caravan and Honduras via Twitter, saying that he would cut foreign aid to the country if the caravan was not stopped and brought back to Honduras. He followed up later in the day with an additional tweet where he also threatened El Salvador and Guatemala, saying that all payments to the countries [including Honduras] would be stopped if their citizens participated in the caravan or if they allowed the caravan to traverse through their countries. If both instances, he suggested that the caravan members would be entering the U.S. illegally, but reports suggest that the migrants will seek asylum if they make it to the U.S.-Mexico border, a legal claim that can be made at any formal U.S. immigration control point.
The Jesuit Migration Network of Central America is part of a larger network that serves all of Latin America and the Caribbean, seeking to provide effective, coordinated, and comprehensive assistance to migrants, displaced persons, and refugees from very diverse areas: pastoral, educational, social, research, etc. In the United States, participation comes from Jesuit universities, high schools, parishes, and social ministries.
“It was powerful to be discussing the situation of those participating in the caravan with colleagues from Central America who know the day-to-day reality in a country like Honduras,” said Christopher Kerr, executive director of the Ignatian Solidarity Network, who attended the Jesuit Migration Network meeting which brought together partners from Canada all the way to Panama. “However, it saddened me to hear President Trump’s attack on the migrants and their home countries—cutting aid and degrading our neighbor countries does nothing to respond to the harsh realities in the region,” continued Kerr. “Instead, we need to see their reality tied up in our own and develop comprehensive approaches that seek to honor the dignity of those who migrate and those who remain.”
The full statement of the Jesuit Migration Network and other partners can be found below in English and in Spanish here.
Jesus, Mary and Joe were migrants.
Illegal immigrants do not have rights in the U.S.A. Why aren’t you working for rights in their own countries?
Because as a cristian and a us citizen I have the duty and obligations to stand on the side of those who seek justice.
Migrants are not criminals!!! They are human beings fleeing violence and poverty in search of a better,safer life for themselves and their families!!! They are legally entitled to seek asylum and we are legally and more importantly have a moral responsibility to hear and help them. If anyone is a criminal in this situation it is Donald Trump! He is ignoring not only our laws regarding asylum, but international laws pertaining to asylum.He lacks all human compassion . We should all be ashamed and horrified by how he is treating other human beings in the name of our country. Anyone who claims to be a Christian should remember “Love thy neighbor as thyself” and “ Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” Stand up against the abhorrent regime of Trump.
God Bless you Sharon!!! In regard to your question. There are multiple Christian organizations working for the rights of people without voices in those countries. A simple google research will help you and get involved if you want to help.