Immigration Has a Name

In Like Manner…the Women E li z a b eth D . R ios

Immigration Has a Name

says “is no place for a woman.”According to Daniel, she earns 230 pesos, or less than US$17, a week.

Although optimistic about the future, Daniel still worries that any plan to afford citizenship to immigrants, especially in a time of high unemployment, will result in increased opposition, likeAs a Puerto Rican and therefore a US ly from both political parties. As Roy citizen by birth, I’ve never had to face the Beck, executive director of Numbers issues that many of my Latino brothers USA, a group that wants to cut immiand sisters have, but as a pastor and leader gration, told the New York Times in April, in the faith community, I’ve heard their “It just doesn’t seem rational that any stories of confusion, frustration, even political leader would say ‘Let’s give agony. And as a Christian observing the millions of foreign workers permanent discourse on the issue in the evangelical access to US jobs’ when we have milcommunity, I am saddened by the lacklions of Americans looking for jobs.” luster involvement of so-called Jesus If we care about being about the people.

Father’s business, let’s not check our faith The usual arguments marshaled to at the door when it comes to immigrahinder or support immigration tend tion. We serve a God who “defends the toward the abstract, and they often obscure cause of the fatherless and the widow, rather than clarify. As we cite statistics, and loves the alien, giving him food and debate the number of undocumented clothing” and who commands us not immigrants living in the United States, just to tolerate but “to love those who and argue about policy, it would be are aliens” (Deut. 10:17-19). helpful for us to keep in mind that It will be easier for us to love aliens immigration has a name. if we remember that immigration has a The name “Araceli Grijalva,” for name, and a face, and a story. These are example. This 29-year-old Mexican people God loves deeply. Like our God, immigrant is a missionary, wife, and we, too, must choose people over polimother of three. As the debate contincy, a stand over silence. We must let our ues over how former President Bush collective voices be heard through the should have handled things in the past Araceli Grijalva with her many efforts in our faith community, and what President Obama should do youngest daughter. including but not limited to the Imminow, Araceli’s life represents the human gration Reform Letter which was prebattleground upon which politicking is Daniel and Araceli attempt to see sented to President Obama in June at taking place, with all the destruction and each other every three months, although the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast pain implicit in such skirmishes.

In October 2006, while traveling with three young daughters (aged 5, 4, (see page 35).

“I am an American, but how can I between Arizona and Mexico as mission- and 2) the reunions and subsequent aries, Araceli and her husband, Daniel, a separations are taking an immeasurable believe in an America that doesn’t believe US citizen, had their lives turned upside toll on their hearts. Daniel is raising the in me?” asks Daniel. This is a question down. Although her US visa was valid two older girls, making ends meet by that demands an answer. n for another four years, border patrol living with his parents (his mother is a police detained her without stating a US citizen, his father a permanent resi- Rev. Dr. Liz Rios (lizrios.com) is a wife, reason. She was handcuffed and put in dent) and singing at local churches. mother, teacher, pastor (SavetheNations.com), a jail cell for nine hours, during which Araceli lives just over the border in Agua author, and consultant. As founder of the time she was refused both water and Prieta, raising their youngest and work- Center for Emerging Female Leadership food, in spite of the fact that she was ing three days a week cutting cables for a (cefl.org), she coaches women to rebound from eight-and-a-half-months pregnant with US company in a warehouse that Daniel all of life’s situations (reboundcoach.com). their third child. Then she was deported to Mexico.

Daniel recalls, “The officials were very aggressive and disrespectful and told us we didn’t have any rights.” The stress of the situation and the ensuing separation, which continues today, exacerbated Daniel’s health challenges.

A Type-2 diabetic, Daniel lives with chronic neuropathy, insomnia, and a host of other complications which have hampered his attempt to find permanent work and to earn the lawyer fees needed to speed up the appeal process that could reunite their family. To this day they have never been told why Araceli’s visa was not honored.

PRISM 2009

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