What would you do if you were undocumented in this present time? What would you do if you were a mother of two children, one of them one month old, and your husband was detained and sent to a detention center? You had been seeking asylum because of threats of violence in your home country. When you go to your immigration checkin, you are told that your asylum petition has been denied and you have exactly one month to come back and show tickets that you will return to the danger in your home country. Your husband is definitely being deported. Whould you pay $10,000 to appeal? What whould you do with your children who are US citizens?
These are the kind of decisions that thousands of immigrants must make every day as Homeland Security is going after many people who have lived and worked in the US for many years in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, but are undocumented or on Temporary Protected Status or seeking asylum or on a particular visa that is revoked.
Two Cabrini University graduates who have spent much of their careers working with communities of immigrants shared stories of the anxiety and fear and stress that these communities face every day.
Cabrini University alumni and friends meet each month to learn about and discuss social justice issues. The June meeting was led by Robin Larkins, class of 1985, and Meghan Hurley, class of 2007.
Robin has had a long career with Cabrini ministries and currently is the co-founder and executive director of of Spring Community Partners in Dobbs Ferry, NY – a suburban community just north of New York City. The organization particularly focuses on serving the growing local immigrant community and helping parents navigate the complex systems to help their families succeed and to advocate for their children.
Meghan works for CATA, the Farmworker Support Committee in South Jersey and southern Chester County. She is currently the Policy and Advocacy Organizer. She also served as a volunteer after college with the Holy Child sisters in Peru.
Following the discussion, the 50 alumni participants wrote or called their US Senators who are now debating the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” This budget reconciliation bill will increase funding for immigration enforcement from the current $34 billion to a proposed $200 billion. Funding would come from many sources, but especially by cutting social services such as those funded by Medicaid and SNAP.
If you are interested in learning about future discussions, please let the Cabrini University CAVS Mission and Service Committee know by adding your name here: https://bit.ly/cavs-ambassadors .
