My Reflections on Immigration

by Brian Dugas

On Thursday a man and his daughter were taken off a street in Dunmore by ICE agents.

In Lehigh Valley ICE arrested 17 people in June who were working on an “unoccupied property.”

In Honesdale employees at a restaurant were detained.

There are multiple claims of people being detained in Wilkes Barre and the Poconos The Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority is leasing space to Homeland Security Investigations(HSI) which is the investigative arm of ICE The Luzerne County DA has signed an agreement with ICE to participate in the 287(g) program, which deputizes state and local law enforcement for immigration enforcement.

As ICE activity in the region continues to grow, a small group of concerned citizens have met repeatedly to get organized and figure out what we can do. There are two of us enrolled in a program with Villanova that trains and certifies people to provide legal support, which is currently nonexistent in Wilkes Barre. The closest agency certified to do it is Catholic Social Services in Scranton, and while that trip isn’t too bad for those of us with a car, it is an enormous challenge for someone without access to a vehicle.

I have learned a lot since I started on this quest to work with immigrants in our region. As Joyce Myers said “ It’s never too late for a new beginning in your life.” I didn’t ask for this, and I certainly wasn’t looking for it. As far as I’m concerned I’m just reacting to what is happening in our country. In a strange way this crisis is giving me the opportunity to reinvent myself once again. I never really considered myself much of a rebel, but I can see that our country needs a few of them right now.

And I’m once again reminded that you are never too old to learn something new. I have learned that there is a large population of immigrants living in Wilkes Barre. They are working and thriving in our community with very little interaction with the rest of us. That there are some very real heroes working with them, but they are few in number, and have very little support. And of course, they are all terrified of what is happening all around them.

I have been reminded again that if you truly want to understand someone, you need to hear their story. I learned this lesson the first time in my high school classroom where a bunch of obnoxious little teenagers changed my perspective on many things, and started me down a path that has taken me all over the world and then right back here to NEPA.

I am thankful to the VIISTA program and the local community members who have once again forced me out of my comfort zone and introduced me to a group of wonderful people who are just trying to survive.
If you have the desire and the courage to step out of your comfort zone, Beth and I are driving down to Hazleton to meet with the people who are running the Hazleton Integration Project which is “a community based effort that seeks to unite the people of many different cultures who call Hazleton home”. We will be leaving Monday at 5:00PM if you would like to join us.

or

You may feel more comfortable providing a Christmas gift (toys) to children aged newborn to 13. A group called Latinos Unidos en NEPA will be distributing them to children at a couple of locations on December 20th. You can either provide the gift or join us at the locations.

The bottom line is that none of us asked to be living in times like this. But here we are. As Gandalf said to Frodo when he learned about the crisis their world was facing, and expressed his desire for a less difficult life “ So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.”

The world is filled with heroes who never wanted to be. They were people just like you and me who stepped forward when the times demanded it. Those times are here again. See you on the front lines.