When Nancy Brennan was asked through her parish to help support local undocumented migrants, she jumped at the opportunity. She had followed news about ICE being active in her county and was perturbed at the civil rights violations of human beings around her.
Nancy said that immigrants in her neighborhood are scared to let their children walk to school, or to show up to court for parking and traffic violations for fear of being deported. For one mother with a young child and baby on the way, her husband was already deported. And, in some cases, ICE is targeting legal U.S. citizens erroneously.
“How do we support people?” Nancy asks. She joined the coalition of churches, temples, libraries, schools, and organizations and is helping to spearhead “a support system” for undocumented migrants. This includes everything from providing shelter, legal counsel, care, and transportation to training on how to film and document ICE interactions.
Although this is a new ministry for Nancy, she says it’s “where [her] heart is.”
“I got involved because of God’s message of love,” Nancy said. “In the climate we live in, it’s always about if you’re not white and blue eyed and blonde haired, you’re nothing. I just have this feeling that people believe in Jesus but they don’t believe what he said, and I’m trying to live that.”
“It’s unfathomable to me,” Nancy continued. “We’re going to try to step in and save as many people as we can.”