Sandy Mercer is a high school teacher and engaged missional Christian in Virginia. She sent me her story recently about working with Maria. The following passionate story is a wonderful example of a compassionate Christian joining in the Missional journey.
From Sandy: My husband, a Baptist pastor, has challenged college students for years to find one issue about which they are passionate and work toward justice in that area. Instead of me finding my issue, my justice issue found me, immigration.
My issue has a face and a name, Maria. She is an undocumented student. Immigration is now more than an “issue” that debated. Immigration is now a relationship with a special young woman.
For the past year I have been involved in helping Maria stay safely in this country with her family and continue her studies. She arrived in the United States from El Salvador when she was twelve years old. Her parents had come here when guerillas burned the coffee fields where they worked. She graduated with an Advanced Studies Diploma from the high school where I teach.
Last year Maria was faced with a voluntary departure order. This would put her back in a foreign land, unsafe and unstable. Several of us at the high school who knew Maria began working to gain support for her to remain in our community with her family. With the help of a wonderful immigration attorney, we engaged in a process for justice.
An outpouring of support came through letters and money for legal costs (many from people in churches in the community who did not even know Maria, but heard about her situation.) We also had letters from local officials and Virginia’s US senators. Maria won a year’s deferred action.
As a result of my involvement, I have begun advocating for the DREAM Act. This Act is federal legislation now in committee in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. As the DREAM Act is currently drafted, students must meet each of the following requirements to qualify:
• They must have entered the U. S. before the age of 16,
• They must have earned a U. S. high school diploma or GED,
• They must have lived in the U. S. for at least 5 years before the date the legislation is enacted, and
• They must display good moral character.
Students who meet these requirements would be issued temporary residency. The residency would be for a period of six years during which the student must either earn a two-year degree or serve for two years in the U.S. Military in order to earn permanent residency.
When I became involved with immigration issues in my community, I did not have a theological response to Maria’s situation. I knew I was supposed to love my neighbor but not a deeper response. Reading Daniel Carroll’s book, Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible, gave me an insightful and heartfelt Biblical foundation. Immigration issues are complicated and discussion is both healthy and necessary. But Christians can no longer sit on the sidelines. I am entering the discourse and working for justice to meet compassion. What about you?
What justice issue may be trying to find you? What can your church do to help others like Maria? Join me in the dialogue. Let us not be silent anymore about issues of justice.
Thank you Sandy Mercer for fighting for what’s right. We need to capitalize on the talents that these students will give to this country. In a time when the US is losing ground to emerging economies like China and India, they represent social capital we cannot afford to lose.
Sandy, you encourage me with your words and actions. A similar situation has unfolded in the Atlanta Metro area this past year, but the overwhelming public reaction has been negative. Political candidates have boasted that they would make sure no illegal aliens would be able to study at Georgia colleges in the future, and many have responded with indignation that a non-citizen was obtaining an education. I marveled at the lack of grace or the willingness to help the stranger in all this. I’m glad you are actively being the presence of Christ in Virginia.
Thanks, Bo, for featuring Sandy’s powerful story and witness to God’s truth. She is right, Christians can no longer sit on the sidelines. Our organization in Virginia, LUCHA Ministries, works with Latinos and their families to provide whatever support they need to live lives of dignity and worth, because every person, regardless of legal status, is a person of dignity and worth. Many of the families we work with have children who came here when they were young. They face many of the same hurdles, and discrimminations associated with them, that Maria faces. We had one case where one Latina high schooler came to believe in about the 11th grade that she had no chance of going beyond high school, so she just quit and never graduated high school, left her family and moved to another state. We, too, support the DREAM Act, and hope that it someday soon becomes law in our country. For us, justice means mercy, and this is where Christians have to make their stand.
Sandy is right on point. Immigration issues need to be influenced by our call to seek justice and practice mercy. The Church needs to respond and individual Christians need to respond. We have been silent too long!
We read and understand the parable of the Good Samaritan and now we have the opportunity to respond.