‘Brothers and sisters in faith’ march for immigration reform

A peaceful march and rally on May 1 in downtown Indianapolis to promote justice for undocumented immigrants, human rights and legislative concerns related to immigration laws drew more than 6,000 people. (Submitted photo)

By Mary Ann Wyand

Jesus was an undocumented immigrant.

Franciscan Father Tom Fox reflects on that reality—in the Scripture passage about the Holy Family fleeing to Egypt to escape King Herod’s wrath and find a safe place to live (Mt 2:13-15, 19-23)—when he discusses his concerns about the plight of undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

Father Tom, who serves as a Hispanic ministry assistant in the archdiocese, joined several diocesan and order priests for a peaceful march and rally on May 1 in downtown Indianapolis to promote justice for undocumented immigrants, human rights and legislative concerns related to immigration laws.

Several marchers carried a banner with the theme “El Sueño continua … legalizacion para todos” (“The dream continues ... legalization for all”).

The march and rally were held on the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, celebrated as Labor Day in many countries.

Media coverage of the march listed the crowd size as 6,000 to 8,000 people, Father Tom said, but he thought about 12,000 people participated in the peaceful demonstration.

Last year, he said, city officials estimated that 25,000 people walked in the first immigration march.

During the short rally on Monument Circle after the march, Father Tom helped distribute postcards addressed to Sen. Richard Lugar, Sen. Evan Bayh and other members of Indiana’s congressional delegation.

The postcards asked the senators and representatives to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill such as House Resolution 1645—the STRIVE Act introduced by Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.)—which is supported by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The U.S. bishops’ Justice for Immigrants campaign promotes comprehensive immigration reform that includes “a legalization process for the undocumented with a viable path to citizenship, a new worker visa program which includes worker protections, adequate wages and a chance to earn permanent residence, reductions in family reunification backlogs, restoration of due process protections for immigrants, and policies which address the root causes of migration, such as economic inequality in sending communities.”

“The [Gutierrez-Flake] legislation would be a good start for the debate [about immigration reform],” Father Tom said. “We collected the postcards and will … hand-deliver them to the [congressional] offices so we will be able to show support for the bill.”

He expects Congress to address that pending immigration reform legislation or a similar Senate bill in coming weeks.

Father Tom represented the Archdiocese of Indianapolis at the “Justice for Immigrants: A Journey of Hope” national convocation on April 17-19 in Washington, D.C., a campaign organized to offer hope and promote justice issues.

As part of his archdiocesan ministry, Father Tom will work with a committee to address local immigration concerns.

Franciscan Father Arturo Ocampo, pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Indianapolis, told march participants during the rally that he marched as an American citizen and Franciscan friar to help undocumented people receive justice in this country.

“There were a lot of Americans that were marching,” Father Arturo said. “This [march] is not just undocumented people. We were marching for justice. I think it’s very important for us as Americans to give witness to the freedom that we have in our country just as we are called to give witness by loving one another and following Christ. We too must give witness by exercising our rights to speak the voice of those who cannot speak.”

Father Arturo said he prays for justice for all people and is concerned about the children of undocumented immigrants.

“Our spiritual prayer is a prayer of action because we are apostolically involved with the people who are undocumented [that] we are serving,” Father Arturo said. “The archdiocese, the friars, the priests of the archdiocese and many laypeople are reaching out to those in need—especially the immigrants—so this is a team effort on the part of the Church, and I think we’re doing a wonderful thing.”

In his speech, Father Arturo reminded the people that, “We—the American people—and the immigrants are the salt of the earth. We cannot allow our country to rot in politics. That doesn’t do us any good.”

His speech also was “an expression of gratitude to God for this wonderful country,” he said. “There’s no other country like this in the world.”

Commenting on the march theme, Father Arturo said, “Our dream is for legislation that would welcome all the immigrants. However, my particular concern … is those who are in school. The children are not at fault. They were brought to this country or they were born here, and their parents don’t have Social Security numbers. They are entitled to an education. They are entitled to continue their studies and to pursue that dream which you and I have been able to realize because of who we are. The children are my main concern.”

He said the march was an important witness about the need for immigration reform.

“We marched together as brothers and sisters in faith,” Father Arturo said. “I would say that 80 percent of the people that marched are Roman Catholic, and that speaks to a tremendous effort on the part of the Church.” †