A Digital Devotional: Faith Hope

Scripture

Luke 4:18

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.

Hebrews 13:3

Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment, and of the ill-treated as of yourselves, for you also are in the body.

Isaiah 42:6-7

I, the Lord, have called you for justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

week 6

Story

Lupe endured abuse and sexual assault at the hands of her brother-in-law in Guatemala. The rest of her family refused to protect her. She was forced to flee to the United States for safety.

Unfortunately, Lupe had already been deported from the U.S. once before. This meant she received another deportation order when she arrived in the country seeking help.

Lupe was immediately placed in a detention center. Despite limited access to legal services, Lupe was able to fight the deportation order and was granted asylum by an immigration judge. However, the Department of Homeland Security appealed. DHS argued that Lupe was not a credible witness and did not have enough evidence to support her case.

Lupe was heartbroken and scared of being sent back to Guatemala. The BIA Pro Bono Appeals Project, which matches vulnerable immigrants with volunteer attorneys, connected her with Hart Passman. Passman, a partner at Holland & Knight, wrote a brief refuting each of the government’s arguments. The Board of Immigration Appeals found that there was “no reason to reverse the Immigration Judge’s finding.” Lupe was released from detention and currently lives in the United States.

Reflection Questions

  1. Several detention centers in the United States are owned by private prison corporations. The more people they detain, the more money these corporations make. Can it be said that a person’s life is being valued and their case processed justly when someone profits from their indefinite incarceration?
  2. There have been documented reports of human rights abuses in detention centers since 1996. As a country, how can we justify the criticisms we lob at other nations for their human rights abuses while ignoring those in our backyard? Why does the name “illegal immigrant” render someone’s humanity invisible?

Prayer

God, give our brothers and sisters who came fleeing from persecution or other evils the spiritual fortitude to endure yet another test in the form of incarceration. Give me the courage to stand up to those who unjustly detain them. Amen.

Call to Action

Encourage friends and family members at risk for detention to create an emergency plan. While we never know if a loved one will be detained, it is comforting to have a plan of action if it does happen. Use the resources below to educate yourself and your community on detention issues.

Resources