SAN DIEGO — Bishop Michael Pham, of the Diocese of San Diego, recalled his arrival in the United States as a refugee as he celebrated an early morning Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral on World Refugee Day, June 20.
Afterward, the bishop shuttled to the federal building — along about a dozen clergy members, deacons, religious men and women and other faith leaders — to observe proceedings in immigration court. Their goal was to be peacefully present for the refugees and asylum-seekers whose cases were being heard that day and to bear witness to what was occurring.
They spent about 90 minutes there, prayed briefly in the building’s lobby for the immigrants and people who worked there, then departed. An immigration attorney who had accompanied them during their visit told them that their presence had made an impact, and that no one had been detained, as has been occurring outside of the courtrooms after cases are dismissed.
The news media followed the delegation closely — including some who accompanied the members into the courtrooms — and was able to document the situation inside, where “lives and futures hang in the balance,” as Bishop Pham had said earlier that day.
The day began with a 7 a.m. Mass, celebrated by Bishop Pham, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishops Ramón Bejarano and Felipe Pulido, priests, deacons, and religious men and women. Leaders from other faiths also joined them, including Episcopal Bishop Susan Brown Snook and Taha Hassane, of the Islamic Center of San Diego.
Bishop Pham spoke about the plight of refugees in his homily — and shared his personal journey as one. The homily follows:
Bishop’s Homily
“Today, we observe World Refugee Day, established by the United Nations in 2001. It highlights that wars, conflicts, natural disasters, human trafficking, food shortages, and government oppression force people to leave their home in search of safety and opportunity.
“I came to the United States as a refugee because on April 30th, 1975, the war ended between North and South Vietnam. Vietnam became a unified country under Communist rule.
“Life was difficult, being oppressed by the government. We didn’t have much food to eat. That is why I’m short. Have you noticed?
“With a big family, my parents were not able to provide the means for us to survive. The best way to survive was to get away from the oppressive government.
“In 1980, my parents took a risk to let my sister, my younger brother, and me to go on a small boat to seek freedom along with 116 other people. We were on a little tiny boat, out of the ocean for three days and four nights without food or water. Thank God, an oil tanker rescued us, brought us to Malaysia, and put us in a refugee camp.
“With their kindness, the United States took us in. Today, I’m still grateful to the United States, a nation of immigrants, for providing me with the chance to start anew. This country has given me access to freedom that is better than most countries in the world: education, employment, and success.
“Today, I stand as a leader of a Catholic Church, thanks to these opportunities that allowed me to contribute to society. I believe most of refugees, immigrants, and migrants over the years, whether documented or undocumented, come to the United States seeking opportunities for a better life and success.
“The majority of us who reside in this country make a positive contribution to society. We are employed, pay taxes, enhance the economy, adhere to the law and respect one another. I believe most people, like me, strive to be good. It is concerning to observe the current situation in the United States. Families are being separated as a result of policy aimed at deporting people who are called criminal.
“When I was 10 years old living in Vietnam I witnessed this situation. Seeing people being taken away for no obvious reason. It is sad and disheartening for me to see this kind of thing playing out in this country today.
“We need to be mindful that we must treat everyone with dignity and respect. We are a human family. We stand in solidarity with our refugees, migrants, and immigrants. We are God’s children. Let us store up our treasure in heaven by sharing, welcoming, and promoting harmony. If we achieve this, the United States will become a beacon of hope, peace, and love to the world.”
Delegation goes to court
After the Mass, Bishop Pham blessed the delegation that would be going to immigration court:
“Loving God, on this World Day of Refugees, we ask you to bless this small delegation which represents all of us here this morning,” Bishop Pham said he blessed the delegation that minutes later would head to immigration court.
“Help us to observe and be present, and in some small way, to convey your presence, your peace to those brothers and sisters whose lives and futures hang in the balance. Your own Son had no place to call his own.
“May we convey his presence, his peace, his trust in You to those whose appearances are today. May what we learn today to help us discern our next steps as we continue to walk with our migrant and immigrant brothers and sisters.”
Just before he boarded the shuttle, reporters asked Bishop Pham why he was accompanying immigrants in their hearings.
“The situation we are facing in our society with immigration in the United States is important for all of us,” he began. “We recognize that we are one human family, we all have dignity and value. We need to treat each other with respect. That is why we’re here, to be in solidarity with one another.”
He said that, “We have to follow the law, but we have to treat each other with love and compassion.”
“We strive to live by the example Christ set for us,” he continued. “If we follow Christ, then we have to care for the needy in our society.”
Then the delegation boarded a shuttle bus and traveled to the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse. There, they gathered for another prayer and then stood in line outside, waiting to pass through the security post.
The delegation members included Auxiliary Bishops Bejarano and Pulido; Episcopal Bishop Brown; Jesuit Fathers Scott Santarosa, Hung Nguyen, and Brad Mills, of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in San Diego; Father Hily Gonzales CS, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Chula Vista; Father Manny Del Rio, St. John of the Cross Parish in Lemon Grove; Deacon Carlos Morales, Christ the King Parish; Sister Mary Waskowiak, Sisters of Mercy; Augustinian Brother Arturo Rentería; Vino Pajanor, CEO of Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego; Imam Hassane; and Dinora Reyna, executive director of the San Diego Organizing Project.
Once inside, they headed to the fourth floor, which houses courtrooms. There, the members saw several Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents standing at the end of the hallway, some with face coverings. The agents saw the delegation and walked away and were not seen again.
ICE agents are routinely waiting outside of the courtrooms and detaining those whose cases for asylum and other immigration applications are dismissed, and expediting their removal, according to attorneys and activists who are monitoring the situation there.
This is a departure from previous years, they said, when migrants whose cases were dismissed had time to confer with their attorneys on potential next steps and to prepare for their deportation.
The delegation split into two groups on the fourth floor, each entering a courtroom where immigrants had been asked to appear on their application for asylum or other immigration-related matter.
The delegation members sat on the wood benches in the back of the courtroom and listened to the proceedings.
In the first courtroom that Bishop Pham and some of the delegation members visited, the applicant for asylum did not appear, although his attorney was there. The judge twice gave the attorney extra time to see if he would appear.
The activists monitoring the courtrooms say that some asylum-seekers are not appearing for their court dates for fear of being detained on the spot and deported if their cases are dismissed.
Bishop Pham’s group visited a second courtroom, where a hearing was being held for a young male immigrant who was detained and was appearing through video. Using an interpreter, the judge told him that he was in a removal proceeding. The young man told her that he wanted to sign a document and leave the country. She told him that he would have the opportunity to do so that but that she wanted to inform him of his rights.
Father Santarosa, part of the second delegation group, escorted a woman and her daughter out of the federal building. In their court hearing, the judge had continued their case.
After about 90 minutes, the delegation headed outside of the building, where news media members asked them about they had witnessed inside.
