La Casa Alitas: A Reflection

Hello to all,

My name is Katherine Pingeton and I currently attend Holy Name Central Catholic High School in Worcester, Mass. This upcoming academic year, I will be a senior. A few days ago, I found out that the site I will be at throughout the week is called La Casa Alitas. Border Patrol turns the immigrants over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who provides them with documentation and orders to report to an immigration hearing. After this, ICE drops the immigrants off at La Casa Alitas, which is considered a hospitality center.

Upon my arrival at La Casa Alitas this morning, I was immediately filled with joy. When I walked through the front door, a little girl, who goes by the name of Holga, ran up to my group and I. Holga kept laughing and smiling, and you would have never suspected that her and her mother, Joyce, have experienced the traumatic experiences that they have. Joyce is from the Congo, as well as Holga, and has had two husbands murdered. Despite this, the two of them appeared as joyous as could be.

In addition to Holga and Joyce, a family of three are staying at La Casa Alitas. There is a mother, who was born in Cameroon, who has a set of twins, Mary and John (five months old). Throughout the day, I was lucky enough to spend time with John, rock him to sleep, feed him, and hear his little (and adorable) giggles. I have never seen a baby smile as much as John did, or laugh as frequently as he did.

I was lucky enough to be able to go back to La Casa de Alitas after supper, with two other group members and one of my leaders. When we arrived, there were three Guatemalan families at the house, all of whom barely spoke English. One man, who came with his son, told me that he left Guatemala because of the poverty. In order to get to the United States, he had to walk through the desert and eventually came across a metal wall. Together, him and his son climbed the metal wall and suffered burns on both their hands and feet due to the metal. Yet again, despite their struggles, the two were friendly.

The way the United States' government deals with immigrants is not humane in any way, shape, or form. It'd be fair to say that the immigrants' dignity is washed aside and all humanity that the immigrants possess is stripped from them. For example, the ICE agents will take the immigrants' shoe laces, just to make it harder for them to walk. In another instance, once the immigrants are detained, some of them are taken to a place referred to as "ICE Box," specifically because the temperature is freezing. The temperature is kept so cool in order to torture the immigrants, in a way, and make them uncomfortable. Why are we, the people of the United States, doing this to a group of people who solely want to make their lives better and the lives of their families better? Why are we labeling immigrants as criminals, or sexual predators, or gang members, when almost all of them are the exact opposite? Picture Joyce and her Holga, Mary, John, and their mother, the Guatemalan family mentioned above, do they sound like criminals, sexual predators, or gang members? No, they do not.

As I'm reflecting upon today, I realize that the people of the United States need to remember two things: not to judge others and to be open. Most immigrants are fleeing from their countries because of the poverty or danger. In other cases, families leave because they don't want their daughter to become a "gang woman," who is constantly raped, or their son to become a gang member, who will most likely be killed. Instead of judging others and being close-minded, the people of the United States need to act as the oil of the world. We need to heal a world that condemns immigrants for wanting to improve their lives. Start thinking about how we can end such condemnation and abuse that immigrants undergo. Start thinking about how we can make a difference in a world that condemns people for wanting freedom. Start thinking about how you can make a change.

Thank you for your time and God bless.