Written by: Sr. Susie Dandison, RSM, and Sister Rose
Marie Tresp, RSM
June 1, 2013
Sr. Rose Marie - The part that really struck me in
Greenville was the raid on the chicken processing plant. 300 people, and
although we weren't given many details they obviously weren't treated with
respect. Why can't everyone be treated with dignity and justice no matter what
they've done? Nobody deserves to be treated poorly.
Sr. Susie - I think what strikes me is the number of
people who are coming, out of their way, out of their day, just to be in
support of Nuns on the Bus and immigration, and find out what this is all
about. It's encouraging that they are interested in finding out what we mean
when we say immigration needs to be fixed. There is no rhyme or reason to
immigration right now. Frankly, one of the main reasons some are opposed to
immigrants is because they don't look like us. When we have someone we know
from Ireland who says they have cousins who are undocumented, people don't
expect it. Don't tell me that the guy from Ireland is going to be treated the
same as the guy from El Salvador.
Sr. Rose Marie - I've probably been back and forth to the
border for 20 years, lived there for 7. Never have I been asked more than are
you a citizen and where were you born. I can tell you that our Mexican-American
sisters are not treated the same way. It's not all these intellectual things
that move me the most. It’s the pain of children being separated from their
parents, and people being separated from their families. People are living in
fear - fear of being separated from their families or returning to their home
country.
