The nation has watched in wonder at the stunning success of Loyola University-Chicago’s basketball team and the media sensation that is Sister Jean. But a more serious story off campus has received less attention.
Felix Garcia, a Guatemalan man who has lived in the United states for more than 20 years and raised a family here, is about to be deported.
As Archbishop Gregory of Atlanta writes, deporting Garcia goes against both Catholic teaching and the long-standing respect for the family that undergirds American culture. In response, several groups have led an effort against Garcia’s deportation, including the Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN), which is circulating a letter asking the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to suspend Garcia’s deportation.
Garcia’s daughter, Belsy Garcia Manrique, is a third-year medical student at Loyola University Chicago. In the best Jesuit tradition, faculty, staff and students at Loyola have come together to show their support for Belsy and her father.
And their support is a challenge to us: if we have followed with awe and amazement the success of the Rambler basketball team and Sister Jean, should we not also translate that love into real action when called to do so? Will we not only “like” Sister Jean on social media, but also struggles for the radical love and justice she stands for?
We at TJP stand in solidarity with the Garcia family and call on ICE to rescind his deportation. Our country deserves better immigration policies than ones that tear families apart.
So take a moment to fill out ISN’s letter asking ICE to suspend Garcia’s deportation.
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Image courtesy Garcia family
