Immigrants Find Asylum in Framingham

“What I keep hearing is the border is everywhere,” said Marjorie Roberson, member of the First Church Natick. Since January, a family of four who fled Honduras has been supported in Framingham by local religious organizations and individuals. First Church Natick, the Eliot Church, Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, United Church in Walpole, and First Parish in Wayland have come together to provide financial, social, and practical support to a 37 year old woman with her three children.
Roberson and Myriam Jennings of First Church Natick traveled to the border a year ago in August, in response to a call from a UCC pastor in Green Valley, Arizona, close to the Nogales, Mexico border crossing. “We spent a week there,” said Roberson. “It was intense. We were there to see what is happening with the militarization on the border. A group called the Samaritans put out water and provided medical care.”
In November, the Arizona pastor requested that the First Church shelter and care for one of the families Roberson and Jennings had spoken to at the border. “We reached out for a support structure, and they arrived in January.” The woman and her children, ages 17, 3, and 1, stayed with a family in Framingham until June when they moved into an apartment. “We raised enough money to support them financially.”
The mother, an owner of multiple businesses, left Honduras after receiving threats targeted at her children. She obtained permission to seek asylum with legal assistance by volunteers at the church in Green Valley. “Theoretically, she is not in danger of being deported,” Roberson said. “She has permission to be here.”
Volunteers from Natick and surrounding towns help the family with rides, babysitting, and companionship. “I took them to Drumlin Farm, and Revere Beach. They’re from a gorgeous part of Honduras,” Roberson said, indicating that they may not have been impressed by Revere Beach. “But it was fun.”
The mother is not yet allowed to work. After a waiting period she can apply for a work permit. A bill is active in the Massachusetts legislature which would allow undocumented immigrants to obtain drivers’ licenses which they are currently not permitted to have, but until that passes, she would continue to require the assistance of rides. Roberson anticipates that the family will need support long-term. “I expect that in a year the financial needs will diminish, but even working full time, it is unlikely that she could afford the apartment.”
Roberson felt compelled to help the Honduran family, and tries to understand some of her Facebook friends who hold antithetical political viewpoints. “I don’t think what’s driving them is lack of compassion. They feel threatened. Are you lacking compassion if you try to stop that threat?” From her perspective, she said, “I believe they don’t understand the situation, or they don’t want to believe it. I just don’t understand who they think is going to get hurt. People have the right to seek asylum. It’s up to our country to decide what to do with them.”
The country is clearly not in agreement about what to do with asylum seekers. The Metrowest Immigrant Solidarity Network helps to accompany people to court so they’re not alone, and the Worker Center in Framingham assists immigrants who have been denied wages. Meanwhile, family separation and lack of soap or adequate sleeping provisions at the border have not stopped people from coming. “Imagine a situation so bad you would risk being separated from your kids,” Roberson said. “The conditions in their countries are getting worse, so they’re coming anyway. We have to consider what we’ve done in those countries.” When faced with the larger picture, Roberson said, “you want to help everyone. You can help one family at a time.”