April 03, 2025 – Pastor’s Note

I.C.E. Action at Mt. Baker Roofing

On Wednesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) arrested 37 undocumented people at Mt. Baker Roofing, likely to face deportation (CDN article). At least one of those arrested was a parishioner, a man I saw regularly at daily Masses across the county with his wife and three young children. It is possible that more of our parishioners were arrested than I am currently aware of.

Our bishops have published a statement about this enforcement action in English and in Spanish.

Immigration is the political issue I hear most about from both our politically conservative and politically liberal parishioners, so I know this is a really contentious issue that deeply divides our community. This is probably because there are true and important principles on both sides that are in tension, and the Church has not provided a clear resolution to that tension. I try very hard not to preach my opinions (which have no power to save anybody) and to stay away from political statements (that often distract from the saving message of the Gospel). I am making an exception today, because this has hit so close to home and because I hear from so many people – but you are free to completely ignore my personal opinions here, specifically because they are personal.

My heart is deeply divided. On the one hand, I resonate with the law-and-order side of this tension. Multiple decades of inconsistent enforcement of border security and immigration laws – across Presidents and Congresses from both parties – have resulted in millions of people being implicitly promised the opportunity to establish a better life while simultaneously being forced to live in fear because they are denied any viable path to legal status. This is not good for anyone. In many or most cases, it would have been less cruel to deny entry or to deport immediately, than to allow someone into the country and then enforce immigration laws decades later. Unenforced laws are worse than no laws at all, because selectively enforcing/ignoring laws makes law a function of personal desire rather than objective justice.

On the other hand, the laws we are enforcing are cruel and undignified after 30 years of allowing people to establish roots here, without threat of deportation unless they commit a crime. As Christians, our values are God, family, and country in that order, so we cannot celebrate anything that removes a mother or a father or both from their (often citizen) children. The irony of the Mt. Baker Roofing raid is that the list of deportees was likely gleaned from tax rolls, meaning this enforcement action specifically targeted the best undocumented immigrants in our county – the ones who are working hard to support their families and who are paying their taxes – the very opposite of those who might be draining societal resources or Tren de Agua gangbangers. And, again, a number of those folks are Mass-going Catholics who sit in the same pews as we do each Sunday. People that I deeply love and care about.

Some people upset about this raid will want to blame law enforcement officers, but I do not. Many of those folks are also Mass-going Catholics, and I celebrate anyone who seeks to serve their society by keeping law and order. Some people will want to blame President Trump, but I do not. Immigration policy should never have been at the whim of executive orders, and it was previous executive orders that got us into this mess in the first place. Instead, this is unambiguously Congress’ fault, for being so beholden to activist bases and special interests that they have not passed a law of any substance since Obamacare (love it or hate it) 15 years ago, and who have been squandering opportunities for bipartisan, common-sense immigration reform since 2007.

As the bishops state in their letter, we need more nuance and sensitivity in our immigration laws. How is there not a path to citizenship for hard-working, tax-paying mothers and fathers of citizen children? How are our only options “let everyone in indiscriminately and never deport anyone” or “deport everyone immediately, no matter how long they have lived here or how devastating it will be to their family”? We have to do better.

Unfortunately, we have very little power living in a politically homogeneous area (Senators and Representatives have way less reason to listen to the average voter if their party is guaranteed victory every time). And since our one-party rule in this part of Washington is currently the “out” party federally, we have even less political power. So we have to stop looking to politics for our salvation and focus once again on loving God and loving neighbor. The more people we convert to faith in Jesus, the more our politics will take care of itself. And the more we step up now to take care of children and spouses who might be left behind after a deportation action, the more we can keep our focus on humanity rather than abstractions. Please pray for our parishioners who are affected.

Okay, personal political rant concluded. You have to go back to listening to me now.

Functionally Gone for Three Weeks

Because I work weekends, I take Monday as a day off and only ever have four office days each week.

Well, next week, I have my monthly priest support group (1 x day) plus an Archdiocesan Partners in the Gospel convocation (1 x day) and Chrism Mass (1 x day), leaving me with only one office day. Since that would be Friday (my normal Assumption + school day) and the school is on Spring Break, I cut my losses and took it as a vacation day. So I am gone all of next week.

The week after that is Holy Week, during which I focus exclusively on liturgical and spiritual preparation (meaning I cancel all non-liturgical responsibilities).

The week after that, I am taking my canonically required annual retreat.

So if it has been especially hard to schedule with me recently, that is why. The staff will likely need your prayers (and Easter chocolates) if you can spare them. 😉