Sisters travel to Washington, D.C. for prayer vigil
Dec. 3—Sister Editha Ben has seen military violence and intimidation that prompts families to leave their home in search of a better life.
A native of the Philippines, she remembers her family's home being raided and the local mayor being ambushed in politically motivated attacks.
"Our family was threatened," she said. "I saw the violence and the fear of living in a politically driven and cruel society and so I have a heart for immigrants who are seeking asylum to be freed from those fears of violence."
Ben is among eight Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods and two Providence Associates who will join more than 75 women religious and others today for a news conference and prayer vigil outside the White House in Washington, D.C.
They are calling on the Biden administration to rescind the use of Title 42 for a public health crisis while restoring the right to asylum at the southern border of the United States.
The Sisters of Providence will join other Catholic sisters from various congregations and others from the Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice as they share stories from the border.
Ben said she understands why people would seek asylum in another country to escape persecution in hopes of a better future. Her family was able to come to the United States, many years ago, and she does not understand why the U.S. government continues to deny access to the asylum process to people at the U.S. border with Mexico.
Joining Ben are Sisters Barbara Battista, Mary Montgomery, Carol Nolan, Rosemary Nudd, Patty Wallace and Emily TeKolste from Indiana, and Sister Tracey Horan from New Mexico.
"Most recently, we have opened our borders to tourists again, but people who have vaccine cards and are seeking asylum are still being denied entry," said TeKolste this week prior to the trip to Washington D.C.
She explained Title 42 as an administrative policy enacted during the Trump administration, and the Biden administration has continued to defend its use as a public health policy.
"Immigration is a politically volatile issue," TeKolste said.
She said that because Biden, a Catholic president, has often said it has been "the sisters and the Jesuits who have kept him Catholic," the sisters are hoping to change the president's mind. "This is what our faith calls us to do," TeKolste said of welcoming immigrants.
She also said the sisters believe it is important to note they believe U.S. immigration policy has always been racist and this is just another example of it. Title 42 has been used in harsh ways against Haitian communities trying to flee natural disaster and illness, she said.
Sister Horan ministers as the assistant director of education and advocacy for the Kino Border Initiative, and has documented many asylum cases and alleged abuses of the system by Customs and Border Protection Agency in the Nogales sector.
A joint report by Kino and the Network Lobby presents 35 cases documented from October 2020 to mid-July 2021 showing border patrol agents have allegedly failed to follow due process in immigrant cases.
The news conference will begin at 9:45 a.m. in Lafayette Square.
Sister Horan will be speaking at the event.
A livestream will be available at https://networklobby.org/title42livestream/.
Lisa Trigg can be reached at 812-231-4254 or at lisa.trigg@tribstar.com. Follow her on Twitter at TribStarLisa.
