Immigration Crackdown’s Impact on a Durham Church Community
In the heart of Durham, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, home to many Hispanic congregants since 1994, is witnessing a shift in attendance. Marcial Sánchez, a long-time parishioner, observed fewer people at the 1:30 p.m. Spanish Mass and noted a notable drop in attendance for a typically well-attended Saturday prayer session.
Addressing the situation, Sánchez expressed concerns about recent immigration enforcement actions. “What’s happening is very sad, because to me, these men are violating constitutional laws,” Sánchez stated in Spanish. He added, “I’m a citizen, and I have to carry my passport with me, to avoid problems or issues. Like I said, I know they’re violating people’s rights.”
With his children born in the U.S., Sánchez respects differing political views within his family, including one child’s support for President Donald Trump. Yet, the intensity of the current immigration policies has taken him by surprise.
Recently, over 370 arrests were made by the Department of Homeland Security in North Carolina within a fortnight, targeting individuals based on their immigration status. This aggressive enforcement has led to protests, with some seeing it as evidence of effective policy, while others view it as an overreach.
During an English mass, Friar Gonzalo Torres, originally from Colombia, addressed the issue, emphasizing a balance between national security and Christian compassion. “Every nation has the right to protect its borders,” he affirmed. “By the same time, because we are Christians, we have the obligation and our kinship as Christians and that’s something that is not happening.”
Lead pastor Friar Manuel Viera, a Cuban native, has responded by relieving immigrant families of their obligation to attend mass if they feel threatened by immigration agents. In a letter to the congregation, he highlighted that their absence is a shared burden for the church.
Viera urged, “We have to be alert. We have to keep our eyes open, we have to take care of ourselves,” he said in Spanish. “But without fear, and with hope, the hope that comes from Jesus who heals, the hope that comes with the Jesus among ourselves.”
