TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Advocates for Tucson's immigrant community are responding to a letter sent to people in the United States under parole status.
South Tucson Missionary Priest Ray Riding is one of the advocates that was shown the letter received by the people he serves.
“So my whole ministry is to walk with them, in their in their journey,” said Riding.
Below is an image of part of the letter:
The letter is dated on April 11, the same day DHS Secretary Kristi Noem issued a reminder that all foreign nationals must be registered under the Alien Registration Act by April 11.
“And the the sad thing is, is that all of these people, all of these families, have been doing exactly what the process is asking to do,” Riding commented.
In response to the letter specifically, a DHS spokesperson provided the following statement to KGUN 9.
"CBP has issued notices terminating parole for individuals who do not have lawful status to remain. This process is not limited to CBP One users and does not currently apply to those paroled under programs such as U4U and OAW.
CBP used the known email addresses of the alien to send notifications. If a non-personal email — such as an American citizen contact — was provided by the alien, notices may have been sent to unintended recipients. CBP is monitoring communications and will address any issues on a case-by-case basis.
To be clear: If you are an alien, being in the United States is a privilege — not a right. We are acting in the best interest of the country and enforcing the law accordingly."
Father Riding spoke on behalf of those who received the letter, stating he's seen a lot of fear circulating. He said it goes against his religious beliefs.
“It's this: if I dehumanize you, I can do anything with you, and that's what they're doing. I believe, and my church believes in its documents, and the Holy Father, the Pope, says that's immoral,“ he said.
——-
Reyna Preciado is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after graduating Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Reyna by emailing reyna.preciado@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or Twitter.
