In El Paso, friars protest mass deportations

By Eli Pacheco 

Five Franciscan friars from the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe joined hundreds of people in a protest of mass deportations in El Paso, Texas, on March 24.  

Brothers Henry Beck, OFM; Maikel Gomez-Perez, OFM; Ignacio Harding, OFM; Tommy King, OFM; and Jim McIntosh, OFM, joined local Conventual friars, immigration advocates, Catholic and interfaith clergy, religious and laypeople in the march.  

Following the January Franciscan Provincial Synod, the friars were called to advocate for and provide increased support to immigrants within the broader Franciscan family. This action by the five friars is one way the friars are responding to that call. 

Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, arranged the event with Hope Border Institute, an immigrant advocacy nonprofit in El Paso. 

Bishop Seitz preached at the prayer service, saying that bans on asylum places and mass deportations were a “war on the poor.” 

Reflecting on his experience, Br. Henry emphasized advocacy for peoples’ rights to due process and humane treatment. 

“The hope also was to inspire others, especially Catholics, to speak up against the illegal actions of the Trump administration and the inhumane treatment of migrants,” he said. “The rally was ecumenical.”  

'The good earth belongs to all’ 

Faith leaders addressed participants and led prayer at the rally, held after the march from San Jacinto Plaza, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in El Paso on the feast day of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador.  

“Bishop Seitz spoke as a mature prophet calling for an awareness that we are all members of God’s family, and the good earth belongs to all,” Br. Henry said.  

Catholic prelates from the U.S., Canada and Mexico, participated, including:  

— Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio  

— Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico  

— Bishop Peter Baldacchino of Las Cruces, New Mexico  

— Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky  

— Bishop Noël Simard of Valleyfield, Quebec  

— Tony Celino, Auxiliary Bishop of El Paso  

Also on hand was Cardinal Fabio Baggio of Bassano del Grappa, Italy, the undersecretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.  

Cardinal Baggio urged people to pray for migrants worldwide, including those from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States. “Thousands and thousands of brothers and sisters who, simply looking for a better future or refuge, lost their way,” he said. 

Others among the protesters: 

— Franciscan TOR sisters 

— Conventual Franciscans from Las Cruces and Ysleta 

— Mexican friars from Michoacán in seminary in El Paso 

— Mexican friars from Mexico City who have a chapel in El Paso 

Migrant deaths reached all-time high 

Br. Henry calls policies inhumane “and not mindful of our deepest values as Americans.” 

“We must, with God's help and the support of one another, witness to the deeper values of Christ and our Franciscan spirituality that reminds us of our oneness as a human family before God,” he said.  

The UN's International Organization for Migration reported nearly 9,000 migrants died while attempting to cross borders in 2024, the highest number on record. 

Br. Henry feels friars’ and religious’ presence brings depth of prayer and spirituality. 

“We can also provide a sense of safety and calm,” he said. “We are being called to offer an alternative view of the human family in a meaningful and peaceful way, in contrast to what is happening in this new administration.” 

'There is much to learn’ 

Br. Henry described the rally's spirit as “peaceful and determined witness,” and said that some participants might join a local rally on April 5 to oppose the administration's policies. 

He praised the religious support at the rally and noted the growing awareness of migrants' challenges. He emphasized the need for continued community assistance. 

“There is an experience of goodness and beauty of being a diverse people living together and caring for one another,” he said. “There is much to be learned from this vibrant and compassionate border community. I invite religious and politicians to come and see.”