There are many reasons to be deeply troubled by our country’s approach to refugees and asylum seekers and to the millions of our undocumented neighbors. In my case, the unease and outrage caused by immoral policies and actions are more personal because of what they could mean for people I care about. Fortunately, I found the UUSJ immigration Task Force. 

It applies Unitarian Universalist values to the national immigration debate, joining other faith and advocacy groups and frontline immigrant groups in petitioning Congress the courts and federal agencies for humane policies. Together we strive to make positive change.

My wife Jackie and I have gotten to know two families on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.  The adults and older children came here from now dangerous areas of Mexico in search of a better and safer life but without the required paperwork. In their years here, they have established roots, started businesses, pursued education, and made friends. They are wonderful, hard-working people, who have become our friends. It‘s hard to imagine better examples of the kind of people America should warmly welcome (though I believe having a near-spotless record shouldn’t be a prerequisite for citizenship). 

Recently, they have been understandably scared by what they hear about harsh government policies toward people like them. Reports of immigration raids at local businesses and stores make going about their normal activities hard. They’ve spoken to us about what arrangements to make if the parents are separated from the kids, an unimaginable situation for most of us.

In trying to do something to change policies to help people like them, I am glad to be part of the UUSJ Immigration team.  We meet with members of Congress and their staff on key immigration legislation and policies. What I have found especially impressive is team members’  knowledge and research both on complex immigration issues and how to effectively reach out to officials.

I am so happy to have found UUSJ’s Immigration Task Force. It is a way to make my small contribution to do something meaningful in response to the terrible challenges our country is facing and to the threats to people I call friends.

In gratitude,  

Terry Grogan

* Please consider making a donation to UUSJ to support our work into 2020 *

—————
Terry Grogan is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston, Virginia, which he has attended since 2017. He is a retired career employee of the US Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC. He and his wife Jackie also spend time at their home in Ocean City, Maryland, where he met the family mentioned in the article.