Immigration is often portrayed as a national issue contained in the halls of Congress. The truth is, however, its impact is also local and can even reach into classrooms at Brophy.
“We have students that come from mixed-status families… the fear is real that a family might face detainment or separation,” said Mr. Jonathan Londoño ’10, Student Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator.
Mass deportations have increased in the past couple of months, and their effect is being felt on campus. Some students are beginning to face the reality that their families may be separated, and they will struggle.
A Brophy student named Josh, who asked not to be fully named to protect his privacy and safety, said his father was detained and taken away from home a couple months ago.
“I looked on Life360 to see where my dad was… and there he was at Mesa International Airport,” Josh said. “It hit me right then, I couldn’t breathe, my heart dropped, I was about to start crying.”
“I genuinely thought my life here in the U.S. was over. My education career, done. My friends, no longer… could have all been taken away in just an instant… I had very little peace at school… every day I thought it could be my last day here,” said Josh.
This experience is not unique to just Josh, as Pew Research explains that approximately 1 in 5 students in the U.S. live in mixed-status families, where at least one member is undocumented.
Additionally, a study from the American Psychological Association found that children who fear deportation show higher levels of anxiety and lower school performance.
Despite the fear, Josh found strength in his friends and community.
“I’ll forever be thankful to my friends and to God, because I was blessed with such a strong friend group. Even though I was shaken up, my friends and community organized a prayer for my dad. That support meant everything to me during those last two weeks of school,” Josh said.
“It’s within our Catholic faith and Jesuit education philosophies, we care for the whole person… that includes the migrant family as a whole,” said Mr. Londoño ’10.
“The one thing I will leave my fellow students with is Leviticus 19:34,” said Josh.
It reads, “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”