See Them

by Janelle Gustafson

Recently, I was having a conversation with one of our pastors, Dale Dalman. Dale spent many years pastoring Esperanza Covenant Church (which meets at First Covenant Church in Grand Rapids, MI) and now serves as a chaplain with the Grand Rapids Police Department. Our discussion was sparked by a prayer request he shared—a request that forced me to confront just how little most of us truly understand about our country’s so-called “immigration policies.” That conversation made it clear: we need deeper clarity on this contentious issue. That realization compelled me to write this article—not only to help clarify this fiercely debated issue but also to share a deeply personal story that deserves to be heard.

Dale’s prayer was for his friend Fernando. Fernando has lived in this country for nearly four decades after crossing the border as a teenager in search of basic opportunity— desperate to escape grinding poverty and determined only to work—never intending permanent residence. At the time, moving back and forth across the border wasn’t heavily scrutinized; finding work as an undocumented immigrant was common. Fernando’s intentions were simple: earn money through hard work, escape poverty, perhaps return home someday.

Fernando’s life unfolded here: he married, raised three children in Michigan alongside his wife, worked tirelessly, and eventually opened his own business—contributing every day in ways both large and small. In 2009, after a traffic violation brought him before the court system, his undocumented status came into question. Yet even then, officials decided deportation wasn’t warranted (too much paperwork); remarkably, he eventually received a Social Security number and tax ID#—a testament to the tangled contradictions within our system. It is entirely possible in The United States to be considered “illegal” while being handed documentation that allows you to pay taxes and open businesses.

The events leading up to his recent detention are equally staggering in their arbitrariness—in September, Fernando stopped at an Indiana weigh station while following all protocols required by law enforcement. There, bounty hunters hired by the Indiana police, detained him on account of his status and placed him in the Baldwin Detention Facility—a privately owned prison where he now awaits deportation back to Mexico: a country he hasn’t called home since youth.

Let’s be absolutely clear: Fernando is not some shadowy criminal or dangerous felon; he is a devoted husband and father whose only “crime” is striving for the kind of life most Americans take for granted. Now he faces being sent back to a country he hasn’t lived in since he was a teenager, while his family struggles emotionally and financially in his absence, and with enormous obstacles simply trying to visit him behind bars.

Some may wonder why Fernando never became “documented” or pursued citizenship—but here lies another uncomfortable, brutal truth: For people like Fernando there simply isn’t any legal path available under current laws. The entire system is irreparably broken beyond comprehension or compassion.

It is imperative we see people like Fernando (and the thousands like him), see them fully—for who they are: families shattered by bureaucracy; lives caught between inconsistent policies; individuals whose only crime was seeking hope across an invisible line on a map decades ago.

As we grapple with these realities let us remember something essential: we are all God’s children—each equally loved by Him—and deserving of dignity no matter where our stories began or how complicated they have become. We must remember their humanity amidst political debates because justice demands it—and so does love itself.

The ECC has been active in this area for many years now and they have a wonderful resource that I hope to use at my church in the new year. It’s a book called “Welcoming the Stranger”. For more information on this book and other resources, please check them out here.

Pastor Dale Dalman was also featured in this Chicago Tribune article recently. Check it out here: Illinois mom covers 250-mile distance to reunite formerly detained immigrants with their Chicago families: ‘They deserve to know somebody cares’