“We are still here – and we’re the future of America!” That was the message from speakers marking the one-year anniversary of the federal immigration raid in Fair Haven on June 6, 2007.
That June 6, 2007, raid and smaller ones in the next few days swept up 34 people. Thirty of them belonged to St. Rose of Lima Church, on Blatchley Avenue, which is where the anniversary commemoration took place Friday night.
St. Rose was — before the raid, during the height of the panic a year ago — and still is the nerve and heart center of the immigrant rights movement in New Haven.
A woman welcomed the crowd of about 150 “parishioners, friends and allies of St. Rose of Lima. We are gathered here,” she said, “to celebrate our unity and commemorate our strength, discovered within this community after raids that took place exactly one year ago, when adversity knocked on our doors.”
Two young people joined Fr. James Manship on the steps of the church to call on “God of the stranger… those whom you call to leave your native land with the promise of a blessed future… nourish us with the friendship of our neighbors as you sustained your people with manna and water.” (Manship is pictured on the left, with Bishop Peter Rosazza, behind two young dancers.)
One of those young people, Jose, was a high school senior at the time of the raid, and is now in college. (He’s pictured at the top of the story, with Mike Wishnie, the lead attorney from the Yale Legal Clinic who has been representing those arrested, in the blue jacket.) Jose said officials from ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) knocked on his family’s door but, “we overslept that day, fortunately,” so no one opened the door. Click here to listen to how the raid changed his perspective.
Lt. Luiz Casanova (pictured), who heads the Fair Haven policing district, said in an interview before the program started that the raid “set us back a little. All the good work we were doing… people lost trust in local law enforcement. We got together quickly and let them know we’re still here, to protect them and work with them.” He said right after the raids there was a drop-off in immigrants’ willingness to report crimes or ask for help, but now, “we’ve gotten beyond that.”
Church member and community activist Angel Fernandez Chavarro (pictured) told the crowd, “We believe in America, and we have hope for America’s future. Those who are against us wave their flag and make much of their patriotism. It is we who truly embody the American spirit, not them.” In his extended remarks, he returned to this refrain over and over, as an expression both of defiance of the raids and hope for the future: “We are still here!” (However, some of those arrested have since left the country.)
Another speaker, Pedro Curbelo, a lay leader at St. Rose and former chair of ECCO (Elm City Congregations Organized), said that after the raid, St. Rose of Lima “acquired power… yes, power. St. Rose is considered today a leader in the struggle for the rights of immigrants. We are asked for advice, and the force of our community has transcended the borders of our city and state. How have we accomplished that? With the hard work and dedication of our leaders and our community. And let me tell you – the future looks brilliant for our community. We’ve been here – praying, dancing, singing, and with our faith in God, because we are convinced that for God, there is no foreigner.”
Speakers pointed with pride to the accomplishments of their youth, who all speak at least two languages and are holding onto the traditions of their countries of origin while also embracing America.
After the speeches, dancers representing the church’s folkloric groups from 13 Latin American countries took over Blatchley Avenue to entertain their families, friends and neighbors. Pictured are girls doing a Mexican dance.
Keny, 16, smiled at this reporter and said he’s been dancing with an Ecuadorian group for the past five years. He said to him it means sharing and enjoying his culture. Asked if he caught any grief from his American classmates, he said, on the contrary, “Once we show our culture and how much fun it is, a lot of people want to join in and do it.” Click here for more, including some of the toe-tapping music that was heard Friday night.