‘We must be united, not divided’

By Rocio Granados - La Voz Catolica

Photography: ROCIO GRANADOS | LVC

MIAMI | “I have two immigrant parents and they’re both currently detained. One is in Arizona and the other is in Florida,” said 18-year-old Jesica Perez.

“I really do miss my mom and dad,” said the high school student and member of the Guatemalan-Maya Center in Lake Worth, Florida, who has not seen her father in six months and her mother in three.

Not being with her parents “is very hard for me,” said Jesica, adding that her 20-year-old sister now takes care of her. “Her dream was to go to college and she can no longer do that,” she said.

“They came here for a better life and they’re no longer here,” Jesica said of her parents. “I say we should be united, not divided,” the woman added in front of the immigration court in downtown Miami, where dozens of representatives from different Catholic organizations gathered to pray and show solidarity with immigrants who are suffering from current immigration enforcement policies.

The event began with a Mass celebrated at Gesu Church, followed by a procession through the streets of downtown Miami to the nearby immigration court. Participants included representatives from Catholic ministries, parishioners from various parishes in the Archdiocese of Miami, representatives from the Guatemalan-Maya Center and the Dorothea Project, as well as students from Catholic schools in Miami such as Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, Christopher Columbus High School, Immaculata-La Salle High School, and Msgr. Edward Pace High School in Miami Gardens. All carried signs that read, in English and Spanish, “You are not alone” and “Refugees and immigrants are welcome here.”

The Mass and procession in solidarity with migrants were organized by the Pedro Arrupe Institute in Miami, Catholic Legal Services of Miami, Barry University in Miami Shores, and Gesu Church. Delegates from Jesuit institutions in the United States, Canada, and Latin America, who came to Miami for their annual meeting from Jan. 26 to 30, 2026, also participated.

“We cannot remain silent as we witness the injustices around us,” said Jesuit priest Brian Strassburger, who is based at the U.S.-Mexico border in Brownsville, Texas, and is a member of the Jesuit Migration Network. He said this as he began the prayer service in front of the courthouse.

Father Strassburger pointed out that “the courthouse is intended to be a place of justice. Instead, it has become a façade” used to detain people who come to do the right thing and then have their cases dismissed. “You are not alone in this,” the priest said.

“Brothers and sisters, we are all experiencing the devastating impact of inhumane immigration policies on our community members, friends and relatives, including the loss of lives,” said Father Strassburger as he recalled the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two U.S. citizens who were killed by federal agents in Minneapolis in January.

He also mentioned that 32 migrants died in detention centers across the country last year and six more died in the first two weeks of this year.

 

TRAUMA OF DETENTION

Amidst prayers, songs, and rain, several attendees shared stories of detained immigrants.

Father Strassburger recounted the experience of a Venezuelan immigrant who fled political violence and oppression in his country to seek asylum in the United States.

Last year, at his regular ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) check, he was detained simply because he had tattoos.

“Isis is not a gang member. He’s a former Catholic seminarian who used to organize a daily rosary in the shelter where I got to meet him,” said Father Strassburger.

After months of languishing in detention, seeing his court dates twice delayed in immigration court, “he begged for a dismissal of his asylum case and a return to the country he fled, Venezuela,” said the priest.

Last week, after nine months in detention, he was deported back to Venezuela. ”I can say he is permanently scarred by the trauma of his detention, and he’s making plans to flee the country again because he doesn’t feel any safer than when he left,” said Father Strassburger. He added that “he is one example of the devastating human toll of a program of mass deportation. Our faith calls us to welcome the stranger, not to criminalize, detain and deport them, yet this is happening every single day in our country,” said the priest.

 

SHOW SOLIDARITY

“Like many immigrants, my family came here seeking a better life,” said Kadavon Makary, the daughter of Egyptian immigrants.

“We are living in a time when this American dream is being exposed as a nightmare for many. Human beings in this so-called land of the free are being met with dehumanization, false accusations, torture, abduction, execution, and captivity,” she said.

Makary said this has deeply impacted her community. “Black and brown workers are being kidnapped in broad daylight in plazas I grew up going to, friends of mine are scared they will be suddenly separated from their parents, and international students are anxious about traveling and worried they won’t be able to finish their studies. I recognize that if circumstances were different, that could be me,” she said.

“I would want others to show up in solidarity. Instead of being bystanders in their stories, we can all play a role in ending the suffering. Rather than feeling helpless, numb, scared, or divided, we must remember there is power when we come together, speak out, show up, and take action against this inhumanity,” Makary said.

 

TRUE HUMANITY OF MIGRANTS

Earlier this year, Manolo Portuondo, a student at Belén Jesuit Preparatory School, visited the U.S.-Mexico border through the Kino Border Initiative. While at the shelter where he was helping to care for migrants in need, he met two Mexican siblings, ages 18 and 22, who were almost his age.

“I learned a lot about them as people with a rough childhood and many struggles. I also learned about their hopes and dreams for the future. Donna yearned for an education, hoping to receive it here in the United States, and David was committed to helping his little sister and achieve her dream in any way possible,” Manolo said.

Like many migrant stories, Donna and David did not have a happy ending, due to the misinformation spread by Mexican cartels. The cartels took advantage of their hopes and dreams and those of so many others. They scammed them into buying one-way tickets to the United States by making them believe a false reality.

“I’m here today with a changed heart and mind. I now see these people who went through so much as people deserving of just humane treatment. Now there is no doubt in my mind that meeting these individuals changed my heart, allowing me to truly understand the humanity behind the migrant journey,” Manolo added.

Following the testimonies, students from Barry University and Catholic high schools continued with petitions, prayers, and songs in Spanish, English, and Creole. They also offered roses in honor of those who died in detention centers.

Those present were asked to continue their efforts in solidarity with migrants through initiatives like the Cabrini Pledge.

 

JESUIT MIGRATION NETWORK MEETS IN MIAMI

MIAMI | The Jesuit Migration Network of the United States and Canada met in Miami from Jan. 26-30, 2026, to understand current migration realities and seek ways to collaborate in addressing the challenges faced by migrants. About 30 delegates from 25 Jesuit institutions in Canada, Colombia, Texas, California, New York, Chicago, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Washington D.C., and Miami participated in the event.

This year, the focus was on learning more about the reality of migrants in Miami and its surrounding areas. To this end, they visited organizations that provide services to immigrants, such as the Gesu Hope Center and the Notre Dame d'Haiti Mission, which serves Miami's Haitian Catholic community, where they met with the archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski.

The delegates also met with representatives from Catholic Legal Services of the Archdiocese of Miami, WeCount!, and the Farmworker Coalition of Immokalee in Homestead.

The delegates participated in a Mass and procession in solidarity with migrants on Jan. 28 in downtown Miami as part of the meeting. Cuban-born Jesuit priest Rafael Garcia of El Paso, Texas, celebrated the Mass, and Jesuit and archdiocesan priests concelebrated.

"Now is the time for action. We will begin with the Eucharist and a procession to the immigration court to honor the suffering of immigrants, who are not victims of justice, but of the current system's injustices," said Father Brian Strassburger, a network member.

"We remember that many migrants have come here seeking safety and opportunities for their families. Right now, they are living in an environment of fear and dread. We regret this, and we believe it is unjust. This is not the country we want, and that is why we are fighting to create a better world,” the priest added.