This morning nine of us from CMC joined 25 others at the ICE office in Westerville in support of M.  During the years E lived in sanctuary in our building, M lived in First English Lutheran Church near downtown.  She has two teenage daughters, both US citizens, one of whom has significant disabilities.  M has now exhausted her legal appeals for asylum.  Ten minutes before her 9am appointment, we gathered around her and prayed the ancient words of St. Patrick who experienced kidnapping and enslavement before escaping:

I arise today through God’s strength to pilot me;

God’s might to uphold me,

God’s wisdom to guide me…

God’s shield to protect me…

Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul,

Against incantations of false prophets…

As several of us went with M to join the long line outside the ICE office, it was hard to miss that we were leaving a group of White folks and joining a group of Brown and Black folks.  Soon after we got in line, a woman came by and offered us water and granola bars.  She wasn’t with an organization, just a person, there to provide some comfort. 

The casualness of waiting in line masked the high stakes. Miriam had made arrangements for her children if she were to be detained.  Her attorney had a thick stack of papers prepared to file immediately for a stay of deportation if necessary, along with $155 in cash for the nonrefundable fee.  We were able to enter the office around 9:40 where we waited another half hour.  When her name was called, an officer at the front desk handed her a paper telling her to report back in May.    

And that was it.

We gathered our things, headed out the door and greeted supporters with the news.  It was good news.  But it provides little relief.  In three months M will do this again, with the same high stakes. 

Meanwhile we continue in the spirit of St. Patrick’s prayer:

Christ with me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ in me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me…

I arise today through a mighty strength

Joel