At St. Agnes Cathedral, demonstrators urge Bishop Barres to fight immigration crackdown

About 50 people gathered outside St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre on Sunday to urge Bishop John O. Barres to use the power of the Roman Catholic Church to fight against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Carrying signs and quoting Scripture, the demonstrators said they were grateful for statements released last week by the national and the New York State conferences of Catholic bishops criticizing aspects of the crackdown.

Now, they said, they hope Barres will do more.

"I love the church. I’m grateful for the bishop" and the statements he supported, said Michele Boccia, one of the vigil’s organizers. "But we want him to take action."

"His voice is so powerful. Catholics listen to him. He could make a huge difference. He can save a life. He can keep a family together," she said.

Barres was not available for comment Sunday, his spokesman said, adding  the bishop was heavily involved in drafting the statement by the New York State Catholic Conference, which represents the state’s bishops.

They wrote the U.S. government has a right to secure our borders and any immigrants who commit a crime should face penalties, including possibly deportation.

But "most of these migrants — the majority, our neighbors — are good people who arrived on our shores seeking a better life," the bishops said. "General enforcement of the immigration laws must be carried out in a humane manner that does not target the hard-working and law-abiding; that does not permit the wanton and unnecessary separation of families; and that does not rely on campaigns of fear that cripple whole communities."

The bishops also called on public officials to reform an immigration system many advocates and experts describe as broken.

Trump has said the crackdown is aimed at dangerous and violent criminals.

Ed Kubik, of Lynbrook, another vigil organizer, said many of those arrested have no criminal record.

The crackdown "is so contrary to our faith," he said. "To see people snatched off the street, to see people dragged away from their family, to be put in a cell and then shipped off to another country.

"We as Catholics are called to stand up for moral beliefs and we’re called to welcome the stranger," he added. "We are called to be the good Samaritan."

One parishioner coming out of the 11 a.m. Mass said he partly agreed with the demonstrators.

"I’m a Catholic, I believe in compassion, we should do the right thing," said Tom Quigley, of Rockville Centre. "We should also obey the law. My heart goes out to people who are mistreated."

Another parishioner, Ashley Chicas, of Hempstead, said her parents fled a brutal civil war in El Salvador and her brother now serves in the U.S. Marine Corps.

"I love seeing that they are standing up for people," she said of the demonstrators. While she didn’t know a lot about Barres’ stance on the crackdown, "I know Pope Leo is doing really, really great things and he stands for immigrants ... I think we should all just follow his lead."

Demonstrators held signs such as "End Mass Deportations, Bishop — Say It From Every Pulpit" and "Thank You Bishop Barres, Now Please Let Our Diocese Respond."

Elise Antonelli’s sign said, "Compassion, Take Action."

"It’s one thing to have a statement," said Antonelli, a Babylon resident. "That’s great, that’s a beginning. It’s another thing to get the word out to all the people that listen to you."

Boccia said demonstrators are asking Barres to provide homily notes to priests to preach on immigration and Catholic social teachings, and to include in weekly parish bulletins excerpts from the New York State bishops’ statement and other information on immigrants’ contributions.