By: James Porter
For Mother’s Day this year, I sent my mother flowers because I could not be with her to celebrate. All over the country, moms received cards and gifts, sat down for Sunday brunch, and felt the love and joy that comes with being a mother. However, there are many other mothers who like mine, could not be with their children, but for very different reasons.
Every day, immigrant families live in fear that today could be the day that they are split up. With a broken immigration system that makes it difficult to, as some say, “follow the rules,” people risk their lives to come to the U.S. seeking a better life by any means possible. They work in the fields picking fruit, in households taking care of children, and in many other industries that are vital to our economy. When these hard-working people decide to start families in this country, they risk being taken away from their U.S. citizen children at a moment’s notice. Still other children arrive in the U.S. unaccompanied, with no mothers to turn to.
We are reminded of our supreme mother, Mary. Fleeing Egypt with her family, Mary never gave up. She knew that there was something greater at stake and forged on until someone was willing to take them in. As Pope Pius XII stated in Exsul Familia:
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, living in exile in Egypt to escape the fury of an evil king, are, for all times and all places, the models and protectors of every migrant, alien and refugee of whatever kind who, whether compelled by fear of persecution or by want, is forced to leave his native land, his beloved parents and relatives, his close friends, and to seek a foreign soil.
With the Justice for Immigrants Campaign of the Unites States Conference of Catholic Bishops, CLINIC advocates for fair and just immigration reform, emphasizing family unity. Additionally, CLINIC’s National Pro Bono Project for Children helps to match unaccompanied minors with pro bono attorneys. Through the work of CLINIC and other tireless advocates, it is our hope that all mothers can be with their children on Mother’s Day free from fear and persecution.
James is a Communications Officer in the office of Advancement, Marketing & Communications at CLINIC
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