To the Editor:
I have been feeling a variety of emotions. They include sadness, disbelief, frustration, and anger to name a few. Why? Because there is a deafening silence in the leadership of our religious institutions over the custody of immigrant children at our southern border.
Anyone watching the news footage from these holding facilities can see the atrocious conditions that exist there. The most horrifying matter is the separation of children from their adult relatives and the failed system that can’t keep track of those in custody. Overcrowding, lack of supplies for basic human cleanliness, and humiliating treatment by custodians are abhorrent. Nobody deserves this kind of treatment!
I have been waiting without success to hear an outcry from our religious leaders. I have heard NOTHING. These leaders are nothing but hypocrites! They preach “love thy neighbor” and other elements of decency and morality in the treatment of other human beings. And putting aside everything political about asylum seeking immigration, those in custody are human beings.
I ask everyone to open a dialogue with your clergy and pose my question -“Where are their voices?” Silence indicates lack of concern. Leadership is lacking. Action is long overdue. When I see their outcry I will replace my anger with hope.
John Chipriano
Village of Chatham