CHRISTIANS TAKE HEED
The Son of God, human and divine, was always apolitical but stood up for the voiceless and powerless. All the present sons, daughters and grandchildren of immigrants are here, happy and healthy through the efforts, travails and sacrifices of their parents and grandparents.
After people arrive here, often from war-torn nations and brutal military dictatorships, the rocky road to legal, fair citizenship needs to be less lengthy and arduous.
Most immigrants are law-abiding people seeking jobs, decent housing, schooling, job training, friendship and the “good life” we all want and seek. Yet we are told, falsely, that the few criminal bad apples in the barrel are all immigrants.
Christians, what would our Lord, teacher and example have us do for our fellow humans?
David Daugman
Attleboro, Massachusetts
LESS THAN HUMAN?
In response to the readers’ letters from the Spring 2026 issue, I ask: “What would Jesus do?”
Would he label immigrants as thieves and quote the commandment, “Thou shalt not steal,” or would he love his neighbor as himself in the land where God shed his grace?
Would he stand shoulder to shoulder with ICE agents, screaming obscenities and killing members of his flock, or would he tenderly hold his sheep in his arms and carry them up to heaven?
Would he tackle, beat and shackle them, placing them in prison centers while regarding them as less than human? Or would he inspire hope by advocating for legislation creating realistic and accessible legal methods for reentry?
Maybe Jesus would list the commandments that were broken (all were broken) in acquiring this land.
Jeffrey Finnegan
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
SAME DECISION
Over the years Maryknoll magazine has documented the crushing poverty and unrelenting violence that many people in other countries are forced to live under. Some make the difficult decision to take the dangerous journey to America in hopes of a better life for themselves and their families. It’s the same decision many of our ancestors made.
Our immigration system has been broken for a long time, and so far we have lacked the political and moral will to fix it. But that hasn’t stopped people from looking for a better life. Many of these people have followed all the immigration rules, only to have ICE agents abruptly yank them out of their cars, their jobs and their homes for deportation.
These parents, grandparents and children are not vermin. They are not bloodthirsty, dangerous criminals. They are not a plague. They are fellow children of God looking for a way to save their families. If the tables were turned, I’m sure many Americans would be making a similar journey to a more promising country.
Christine Sandow
LaFayette, Georgia
LETTER OF THE LAW
In the Gospels, some Pharisees criticized Jesus for healing a man on the Sabbath because, in doing so, he broke the law against doing work on that day. In that same spirit, several of the letters in your Spring issue condemned showing any compassion for immigrants, documented or undocumented. That many of these immigrants have been living, working and worshiping in our communities for years and that most are more law-abiding than many Americans counts for nothing.
The rigid legalist knows only one thing: They broke the law, so deport them all. The brutal execution of the law has resulted in even legal immigrants being incarcerated or deported. The example of Jesus’ treatment of outcasts like lepers and the Samaritan woman at the well and the calls of Pope Francis, Pope Leo and our American bishops, seem to count for nothing.
If our love does not go beyond the letter of the law, we cannot truly call ourselves Catholic.
Mario D. Mazzarella
Newport News, Virginia
HONORING FRANCISCO
Having recently lost my beloved husband, Francisco Jimenez, I am quite behind in reading Maryknoll. I was inspired to write because of your Winter 2026 edition. It overwhelms me with the magnificence of the work your missioners do for others: the lowest, the unsung, God’s people.
Father Joseph R. Veneroso has touched our hearts many times over so many years, but his “Standing Her Ground” photo meditation, about Mother Cabrini’s holy work and all she endured, was truly remarkable.
I was also in awe of the work being done by Father Joyalito Tajonera and Cecilia Huang in Taiwan to assist migrant fishers who are abused on many levels. I’m also grateful for the important work of Charles Niece in tracing those tuna cans to our supermarkets in order to protect labor and human rights.
Then I read the reflection by Sister Catherine DeVito on her work with formerly legal workers who are now being separated from their children and spouses and deported. She addressed these cruel and unjust policies with eloquence, and her work is truly what our beloved Christ has asked of us.
My husband Francisco was born into a migrant family that followed the crops throughout California. It broke his heart to see how little had changed since he was a child. He was drafted into the military and went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He loved sharing his stories that made people laugh and cry, so they could better understand the lives of immigrants.
God bless you and your work. My family and I will be forever grateful.
Janice Lema Jimenez
Watsonville, California
Maryknoll magazine reserves the right to edit letters for clarity, brevity and civility.
Featured image: Women harvest cabbage in a plot of land irrigated by a community water point in Kibwezi, Kenya, an area severely affected by the climate crisis. Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers has financed wells with solar pumps and water storage systems throughout the region. (Paul Jeffrey/Kenya)
