The migrants camped beneath the Del Rio International Bridge in Texas may have been dispersed by Sept. 24, but the impact of the latest chapter in this year’s border crisis will still be experienced nationwide, as thousands of the refugees are relocating across the U.S.
Haitian leaders from the Diocese of Brooklyn traveled to Texas this week with a dual purpose: to aid newly arrived Haitian migrants in the U.S., and to better understand their needs in preparation for their possible arrival up north.
Responding to the border crisis in Del Rio, Texas, and broader immigration issues, more than 150 Catholic organizations last week implored President Joe Biden to end a policy called Title 42 — federal permission for the immediate expulsion of migrants and limitation of their right to seek asylum.
The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ migration committee and the head of Catholic Charities USA issued a joint statement Sept. 22 urging humane treatment of Haitians and other migrants as their numbers grow in southern Texas at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Now that passing immigration reform measures in the budget reconciliation package may be off the table, immigration advocates fear a divided Congress won’t stray from party lines to pass immigration reform through traditional means.
Bishop Pierre André Dumas said rebuilding his post-quake homeland of Haiti depends on repairing places of worship. “We put the focus on the rebuilding of the churches because, we think, that is how we rebuild the human being,” he said. “If you can rebuild the human being, spiritually, you can rebuild the country.”
The Diocese of Brooklyn, including clergy across Brooklyn and Queens, is remembering retired Auxiliary Bishop Guy A. Sansaricq upon his passing as “a man of heart, a man of peace.”
A candlelight service at St. Francis of Assisi Church Aug. 23 offered uplifting music, quiet prayer and heartfelt petitions for those struggling in the chaos of Haiti and Afghanistan. The event incorporated Scripture, silent reflection, musical response and prayer.
Of the 500,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine to reach Haiti so far, only about 5%, have been injected into people’s arms. The Aug. 14 earthquake gets a lot of blame for that, but the assassination of Haiti’s president and a hesitancy among people to get their shots have also delayed the distribution, health officials said.
The Cathedral of St. Anne may have to be demolished following the Aug. 14 earthquake in Haiti. But pews and a bell donated from the Diocese of Brooklyn had no damage, and will continue to be part of the cathedral, whether it is rebuilt or repaired, the pastor said.
