SAN DIEGO — People of faith of all ages and races walked through the streets of Barrio Logan where ICE agents had detained community members, calling for all immigrants to be treated with dignity and justice.
The procession, called “Standing for All That Is Sacred,” was led by San Diego Catholic Bishop Michael Pham and other faith leaders. It began in the late afternoon of Jan. 25 at César Chavez Park on the edge of the bay and ended at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, nearly a mile away.
Bishop Pham was accompanied by Auxiliary Bishops Ramón Bejarano and Felipe Pulido, and by priests, deacons, religious and seminarians from the diocese.
“We gather to say that fear will not have the last word,” Bishop Pulido said in the opening prayer. “We gather to proclaim that human life is sacred, sacred in the womb, sacred at every stage, sacred in every person, without exception.
“No border erases dignity. No document defines worth.”
Participants stretched over several blocks as they moved through the mostly industrial area crisscrossed by the trolley. They hoisted signs with messages such as “Love the foreigner as yourself” (Lev 19:34), “We speak for those who can’t,” and “See God in all people.”
They stopped on the street at four points along the route where people had been detained by ICE agents and listened to prayers led by Christian, Jewish and Muslim faith leaders. The sites were Perkins Elementary School, Alpha Project, Father Joe’s Villages and Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.
“We ask you to pray for the individuals detained at those sites, for the families and communities that love them, and for the people who are carrying out orders of a system that is being cruel and inhumane,” said Jesuit Father Scott Santarosa, from Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish.
He estimated that as many 1,000 people had turned out for the event, which was coordinated by the San Diego Organizing Project.
The walk was the latest action organized by SDOP, the parish and the diocese to support undocumented immigrant families and to oppose the massive deportation campaign being waged by the federal government. Several speakers mentioned Alex Pretti, the nurse who was shot to death the day before by Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota.
Jesuit Father Hung Nguyen opened the event at 4 p.m. as the faithful clustered around a small park kiosk.
“We are here as people of faith and spirit to stand for all that is sacred,” he began, speaking in English and Spanish. “We are standing with our immigrant brothers and sisters. We are standing for dignity and justice.
“We are standing for the power of our collective love for our people, our county and our country.
“We mourn the unnecessary death of our sister, Renee Good, and our brother, Alex Pretti, believers of freedom and defenders of the vulnerable.”
He acknowledged that those on hand were feeling pain, anger, frustration and fear.
“In this procession, we walk with whatever emotions we bring,” he said. “And we want to proclaim that our streets are sacred, and our neighborhoods are sacred, and our lives are sacred.”
Auxiliary Bishop Pulido then led the opening prayer.
“Many of us came to California from the same place. Many of us crossed the same border. Many of us speak the same language. We did not come to harm, we came to work, we came to build, we came to give our children a future.
“And yet, today, fear hangs over our communities. We watch what is happening in Minneapolis. We see what is happening across the country. And a question rises in our hearts: ‘Are we next?’”
He said the word of God speaks directly to this moment through the prophet Isaiah (9:2), who announces that “people walking in darkness have seen a great light.”
“We gather to say that fear will not have the last word. We gather to proclaim that human life is sacred, sacred in the womb, sacred at every stage, sacred in every person, without exception.
“No border erases dignity. No document defines worth.”
He said that Pope Leo XIV had condemned the practice of hunting down and intimidating good, hard-working men and women, turning neighbors into suspects, and families into targets.
“Pope Leo reminds us who the Church is at moments like this,” Bishop Pulido continued, referring to the pope’s first encyclical, “Dilexi Te.”
“A Church is not a fortress. She is a mother. When the world sees threats, she sees children. When walls are raised, she builds bridges, and she knows that the Gospel is believable only when it is lived in closeness, mercy and welcome.
“Let us be clear, when a migrant is rejected, Christ himself is rejected. When a family is torn apart, the Body of Christ is wounded. When fear rules our streets, the light of the Gospel demands to be raised higher.
“So, today, we pray as we come together … Open our eyes to see Christ in the migrant, in the refugee, in the rejected. And give us the courage to stand where you stand, to speak as you speak, and to love as you love.”
Bishop Pham addressed the participants at the end of the walk, on the front steps the church, as the evening darkness fell.
“We walk together in solidarity with one another,” he said. “We are one family, the human family.”
He shared parts of the special message issued in November by the U.S. bishops, who raised their collective voice against the “indiscriminate mass deportations” being carried out by federal authorities.
Then Auxiliary Bishop Bejarano spoke.
“Today, we are putting our faith into action,” he said. “Look around and see the diversity of who we are. This is who we are intended to be by our Creator — united across all of our beautiful differences. We are standing together for all that is sacred.”
