What Has Become Ordinary
~ As we enter into ordinary time and a new year, take a moment to reflect on the threats to God-given human dignity that have become ordinary in our society. Quietly, each day nuclear weapons sit in stockpiles in dark silos, children are aborted without ever seeing daylight, people are executed behind prison walls, and another unhoused person dies in the streets, unseen. As a “light to the nations,” we are called to illuminate the places where the throwaway culture has seeped into our daily lives, the places where evil has become banal. One such place is our immigration system, and it is having major effects right here in St. Louis.
Elena, her husband, and their child came from Guatemala in 2020. Because of fear of returning, they filed for asylum in the U.S. Shortly after that they welcomed their second child. For these years in St. Louis, they have never broken any laws. A year and a half ago, Elena’s immigration case was dismissed because she was considered to be a very low-priority as a result of her clean record. She thought her immigration battle was over and that she could take a breath of relief. However, 5 months ago her husband was deported. She was recently asked to report back into the ICE office, despite her dismissed case. She is afraid and unsure of what to do because she does not want to put her two children at risk of losing both their parents to deportation.
Since January 2025, the Rapid Response Coalition (RRC), a group of trusted organizations, community groups, and advocates, has been providing legal and other services to immigrant communities in the St. Louis area. Through the work of hotline volunteers, RRC has collected data on immigrants within our community who have been detained by ICE in 2025. This data represents only those who have contacted RRC.
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stlrapidresponse/
An article from NPR about Rapid Response: https://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2025-02-10/st-louis-immigrant-groups-ice-activity-hotline
Detained Intakes Summary
(see attached PDF below)
What this shows us:
- The vast majority of immigrants who are detained in our community are not criminals.
- Immigrants who came to the U.S. through proper legal channels are at risk of being detained and deported.
- Families in our St. Louis community are being torn apart by federal immigration enforcement.
If you know someone who has been detained by ICE, please call 314-370-7080.
Throughout the year, we present an article in the bulletin each week on a variety of topics, written by a member of our Parish staff or ministries on a rotating basis.
