Immigrants share personal experiences of fear, faith with Archbishop Rozanski
- ambale
- Oct 11
- 1 min read
By Archdiocesan News
The archbishop met with about 20 people to listen to their stories, offer support
On a recent Tuesday evening, Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski met with about 20 immigrants from parishes in the archdiocese to listen to their stories of migration and their experiences in the current climate.
The overwhelming theme was fear.
A young man who said he was from Honduras shared that when he was 16, his family was going through hardship and poverty. His parents and brothers migrated to the U.S., but he was left behind with other relatives. He eventually made the journey himself.
After ending up in St. Louis alone, he found help with shelter and food through a parish community, which also connected him with a lawyer to begin the asylum process. He now has a social security card and a work permit but said he still doesn’t feel secure.
“Even though I do good things, try to stay good, I still feel fear. I don’t feel safe in the current situation, even after doing everything good — they don’t care about that,” he said through a translator. “All my effort can someday just be wiped out.”
One woman said she was from Mexico and came to the United States at age 22. She has been here for 37 years but has been unsuccessful in legalizing her residency status. Because of this, when her mother passed away last year, she couldn’t go back to see her or attend the funeral.
