0:00:01.375,0:00:04.893
I'm here to honor the sacredness of life

0:00:04.917,0:00:08.268
that I see at the border in south Texas.

0:00:08.292,0:00:10.768
In 2014,

0:00:10.792,0:00:13.559
I visited a detention facility

0:00:13.583,0:00:17.768
where hundreds of little children,

0:00:17.792,0:00:19.101
immigrant children,

0:00:19.125,0:00:21.684
were detained for several weeks

0:00:21.708,0:00:25.309
in conditions that were[br]very heartbreaking.

0:00:25.333,0:00:28.101
They were dirty and muddy

0:00:28.125,0:00:29.375
and crying.

0:00:30.333,0:00:33.208
Their faces were full of tears.

0:00:34.042,0:00:37.875
I had the opportunity to go in[br]and be with them.

0:00:39.250,0:00:41.309
And they were all around me.

0:00:41.333,0:00:45.268
They were little ones,

0:00:45.292,0:00:48.750
some of them not older[br]than five years old.

0:00:49.875,0:00:52.476
And they were saying to me,

0:00:52.500,0:00:54.518
(Spanish) "Sácame de aquí."

0:00:54.542,0:00:55.917
"Get me out of here."

0:00:57.708,0:00:59.309
(Spanish) "Por favor, ayúdame."

0:00:59.333,0:01:00.625
"Please, help me."

0:01:01.875,0:01:05.018
It was so difficult to be there with them.

0:01:05.042,0:01:06.851
I started to cry with them,

0:01:06.875,0:01:08.792
and I told them,

0:01:09.667,0:01:10.934
"Let us pray."

0:01:10.958,0:01:12.768
(Spanish) "Vamos a rezar."

0:01:12.792,0:01:14.583
And they repeated after me,

0:01:15.458,0:01:18.226
(Spanish) "Diosito, ayúdanos."

0:01:18.250,0:01:20.375
"God, please, help us."

0:01:21.542,0:01:25.143
As we prayed, I could see[br]the Border Patrol officers

0:01:25.167,0:01:27.250
looking through a glass window.

0:01:28.500,0:01:30.625
They were at the verge of tears.

0:01:31.833,0:01:34.875
As they heard the children[br]praying and witness.

0:01:35.708,0:01:39.851
I had a little boy[br]get close to me, closer,

0:01:39.875,0:01:41.518
because they were all over,

0:01:41.542,0:01:44.375
we could barely fit in that little cell.

0:01:45.583,0:01:48.184
And this little boy tells me,

0:01:48.208,0:01:50.268
(Spanish) "Ayúdame.

0:01:50.292,0:01:52.434
Quiero irme con mi mamá."

0:01:52.458,0:01:54.018
"Please, help me.

0:01:54.042,0:01:55.976
I want to be with my mother.

0:01:56.000,0:01:59.333
She is here, I was separated from her."

0:02:00.625,0:02:02.184
I said to him,

0:02:02.208,0:02:04.809
"Mijo, if your mom is here,

0:02:04.833,0:02:07.583
I'm certain you will be reunited."

0:02:09.417,0:02:11.500
When I walked out of the cell,

0:02:12.833,0:02:15.768
an officer got close to me and said to me,

0:02:15.792,0:02:17.375
"Sister, thank you.

0:02:18.292,0:02:20.875
You have helped us realize

0:02:22.417,0:02:23.875
that they are human beings."

0:02:25.792,0:02:28.684
You know, sometimes,[br]no matter what job we have,

0:02:28.708,0:02:32.184
we must never forget to recognize

0:02:32.208,0:02:34.976
the humanity in others.

0:02:35.000,0:02:37.625
Otherwise, we will lose our own humanity.

0:02:39.292,0:02:42.768
Let me tell you a bit[br]about what I see and what I do

0:02:42.792,0:02:45.309
in the southern border[br]of the United States

0:02:45.333,0:02:47.875
where I live and where I work.

0:02:49.167,0:02:52.684
Hundreds of families[br]enter the United States

0:02:52.708,0:02:55.083
by crossing the Rio Grande river.

0:02:55.917,0:02:58.518
And once they are in the United States,

0:02:58.542,0:03:00.184
many of them are given permission

0:03:00.208,0:03:03.226
to continue their process of immigration

0:03:03.250,0:03:06.434
at another point in the United States.

0:03:06.458,0:03:09.684
What has amazed me for all these years

0:03:09.708,0:03:14.643
has been the amazing humanitarian response

0:03:14.667,0:03:17.250
of the community there in south Texas.

0:03:18.333,0:03:20.393
Thousands of volunteers

0:03:20.417,0:03:23.893
have given of their time so generously.

0:03:23.917,0:03:26.917
For me, they're all amazing people.

0:03:27.833,0:03:29.851
And the whole community,

0:03:29.875,0:03:31.476
city government,

0:03:31.500,0:03:34.351
from local business leaders

0:03:34.375,0:03:36.434
to civic organizations,

0:03:36.458,0:03:38.518
all faith communities,

0:03:38.542,0:03:40.851
in the Border Patrol and ICE.

0:03:40.875,0:03:44.601
We have all come together[br]in an effort to help

0:03:44.625,0:03:50.851
150,000 or more immigrants[br]since that first day that we got started.

0:03:50.875,0:03:52.476
Back in those first days

0:03:52.500,0:03:56.268
when we were first involved[br]in helping the immigrants,

0:03:56.292,0:03:58.268
we were at our respite center,

0:03:58.292,0:04:01.226
and an officer from the city walks in

0:04:01.250,0:04:03.559
and tells me,

0:04:03.583,0:04:06.458
"Sister, what are you doing here?"

0:04:07.500,0:04:10.226
I turned and looked[br]to see what was happening

0:04:10.250,0:04:11.833
at the respite center.

0:04:12.792,0:04:15.393
I was amazed at what I was seeing.

0:04:15.417,0:04:18.184
There were hundreds of volunteers

0:04:18.208,0:04:23.184
helping so many families there[br]that needed help.

0:04:23.208,0:04:26.643
Giving them ways to get cleaned up

0:04:26.667,0:04:30.309
and to get clean clothing, food,

0:04:30.333,0:04:32.476
hygiene items.

0:04:32.500,0:04:37.518
Just love and compassion[br]was seen everywhere.

0:04:37.542,0:04:41.726
So I turned back and I responded[br]to him and I said,

0:04:41.750,0:04:44.393
"Restoring human dignity.

0:04:44.417,0:04:46.351
That's what we're doing."

0:04:46.375,0:04:48.809
I don't think he expected[br]that answer from me,

0:04:48.833,0:04:50.226
because he took a step back

0:04:50.250,0:04:53.226
and then approached me again and said,

0:04:53.250,0:04:57.601
"Sister, if I had a magic wand,

0:04:57.625,0:04:59.833
what would that magic wand do for you?"

0:05:00.917,0:05:02.351
"Showers?"

0:05:02.375,0:05:06.458
Sure enough, that evening[br]we had a mobile unit of eight showers.

0:05:07.542,0:05:08.809
Amazing.

0:05:08.833,0:05:10.101
And after that,

0:05:10.125,0:05:13.726
we had 100 percent support[br]of the city government.

0:05:13.750,0:05:15.059
We were there,

0:05:15.083,0:05:17.893
wanting to make sure that we were helping

0:05:17.917,0:05:19.809
and be successful with our response

0:05:19.833,0:05:22.143
to so many families that we were seeing

0:05:22.167,0:05:24.018
every single day.

0:05:24.042,0:05:28.309
I think that we must help others see

0:05:28.333,0:05:30.226
what we see.

0:05:30.250,0:05:32.143
I think it's important

0:05:32.167,0:05:34.500
that we can share that with others.

0:05:36.042,0:05:38.559
You probably heard this idea before --

0:05:38.583,0:05:43.792
that we must always see[br]God's children as equal.

0:05:44.708,0:05:45.976
But in order to do that,

0:05:46.000,0:05:50.851
I think it's important[br]to be able to see them

0:05:50.875,0:05:52.125
as people.

0:05:53.250,0:05:55.684
To be able to have a personal encounter,

0:05:55.708,0:05:57.726
when we can feel what they feel,

0:05:57.750,0:06:00.292
when we can understand[br]what they're hurting.

0:06:01.708,0:06:03.583
To really meet up with them.

0:06:05.208,0:06:07.309
It is then that we are present to them

0:06:07.333,0:06:10.143
and we can make their humanity

0:06:10.167,0:06:12.601
a part of our own humanity.

0:06:12.625,0:06:14.268
And we'd recognize

0:06:14.292,0:06:17.250
that we are all part[br]of the same human family.

0:06:17.958,0:06:20.101
During those days,

0:06:20.125,0:06:23.559
I had a lady approach me and tell me,

0:06:23.583,0:06:28.559
"Sister, I am 100 percent[br]against what you do,

0:06:28.583,0:06:30.809
helping these illegal aliens."

0:06:30.833,0:06:32.434
And I said to her,

0:06:32.458,0:06:35.875
"Let me tell you what I do and why."

0:06:37.208,0:06:41.643
So I shared with her and introduced her[br]to the families and the children,

0:06:41.667,0:06:44.393
shared the stories that they are living.

0:06:44.417,0:06:47.309
When I finished talking with her,

0:06:47.333,0:06:49.893
she turns and looks at me and says,

0:06:49.917,0:06:54.726
"Sister, I am 100 percent[br]in favor of what you do."

0:06:54.750,0:07:00.101
(Laughter and applause)

0:07:00.125,0:07:02.559
That evening, her husband calls me,

0:07:02.583,0:07:03.851
he tells me,

0:07:03.875,0:07:06.851
"Sister, I don't know[br]what you did to my wife.

0:07:06.875,0:07:09.976
But this evening[br]she came home and she said,

0:07:10.000,0:07:11.893
'If Sister Norma ever calls you,

0:07:11.917,0:07:14.476
you make sure you do what she tells you.'

0:07:14.500,0:07:18.000
So I'm just reporting to let you know[br]I'm here to help in any way."

0:07:18.917,0:07:20.167
Well, you know ...

0:07:22.375,0:07:24.059
I'm thinking that --

0:07:24.083,0:07:26.750
was it a personal encounter that she had?

0:07:27.667,0:07:30.309
I think it's a nice idea, a nice message,

0:07:30.333,0:07:33.268
but I don't think it's the whole story.

0:07:33.292,0:07:39.268
In that encounter, we must put aside[br]our prejudice that we have toward others,

0:07:39.292,0:07:42.976
that separate us[br]and don't allow us to see them,

0:07:43.000,0:07:45.726
our walls that we put up in our own heart

0:07:45.750,0:07:48.333
that keep us separated from others.

0:07:49.000,0:07:51.476
When we are able to do that,

0:07:51.500,0:07:54.000
we're able to reach out to them.

0:07:54.833,0:08:00.018
You know, I think what[br]doesn't make it possible is fear --

0:08:00.042,0:08:01.643
that we're afraid.

0:08:01.667,0:08:03.518
And because we're afraid --

0:08:03.542,0:08:06.726
more than likely it's because[br]we've seen in the media

0:08:06.750,0:08:10.601
all this negative rhetoric[br]that we hear about immigrants,

0:08:10.625,0:08:13.768
they are demonized,[br]like they're not human,

0:08:13.792,0:08:15.768
that we can discard them

0:08:15.792,0:08:17.226
and we can get rid of them,

0:08:17.250,0:08:19.768
and not even feel bad[br]that we're doing that.

0:08:19.792,0:08:22.500
Immigrant families are not criminals.

0:08:23.958,0:08:27.601
Immigrant families are like our families,

0:08:27.625,0:08:29.250
like our neighbors.

0:08:30.125,0:08:31.893
They're good people

0:08:31.917,0:08:35.643
who are entering our country[br]and coming to the United States

0:08:35.667,0:08:38.518
only simply because they're fleeing[br]away from violence

0:08:38.542,0:08:39.917
and they want to be safe.

0:08:41.042,0:08:45.018
Unfortunately, what we see at the border

0:08:45.042,0:08:46.851
is terrible.

0:08:46.875,0:08:49.434
People are hurting and suffering.

0:08:49.458,0:08:50.917
Thousands of them are.

0:08:51.750,0:08:53.268
And mostly I feel

0:08:53.292,0:08:55.976
it's because of those walls[br]that we put up,

0:08:56.000,0:08:58.351
that we have in our hearts,

0:08:58.375,0:09:00.518
that makes us not care.

0:09:00.542,0:09:02.143
So we have policies

0:09:02.167,0:09:04.768
that are returning people back to Mexico,

0:09:04.792,0:09:06.143
so they can wait.

0:09:06.167,0:09:08.167
And they wait there for months.

0:09:09.167,0:09:11.226
In conditions that are horrible,

0:09:11.250,0:09:13.292
where people are suffering and hurting.

0:09:14.417,0:09:15.809
Abuses.

0:09:15.833,0:09:19.125
And not even the means to be OK.

0:09:20.542,0:09:23.458
I think that it is true

0:09:24.792,0:09:27.542
that we must keep our country safe,

0:09:28.667,0:09:32.351
that we must make sure[br]who enters our country,

0:09:32.375,0:09:34.458
that criminals should be put away.

0:09:35.500,0:09:37.809
But it is also true

0:09:37.833,0:09:42.809
that we must not lose[br]our humanity in doing this.

0:09:42.833,0:09:45.351
That we must have policies and procedures

0:09:45.375,0:09:48.559
that do not contribute[br]to the human suffering

0:09:48.583,0:09:51.268
that people are already suffering.

0:09:51.292,0:09:56.018
And that we can find solutions[br]that are respectful to all human life.

0:09:56.042,0:09:57.434
We can do this,

0:09:57.458,0:10:00.726
if we can allow the best[br]in us to come out.

0:10:00.750,0:10:03.601
Because what I see at the border

0:10:03.625,0:10:08.768
are families, men, who will take a child

0:10:08.792,0:10:12.768
and will try to comfort[br]that child that is crying

0:10:12.792,0:10:15.851
because that child is crying[br]for their own dad.

0:10:15.875,0:10:19.726
And these men are crying with that child.

0:10:19.750,0:10:24.643
I see men and women[br]who drop to their knees,

0:10:24.667,0:10:26.268
praying.

0:10:26.292,0:10:28.833
As they pray in thanksgiving.

0:10:30.417,0:10:35.018
I see children who have been separated[br]from their parents for months.

0:10:35.042,0:10:36.476
And when they're reunited,

0:10:36.500,0:10:39.393
they're afraid to separate[br]themselves from them,

0:10:39.417,0:10:42.500
because they're afraid[br]they will lose their mom again.

0:10:43.542,0:10:47.559
Once a child looked up to me[br]after she was reunited

0:10:47.583,0:10:49.292
and she said to me,

0:10:50.292,0:10:52.042
(Spanish) "Hoy no voy a llorar."

0:10:52.917,0:10:54.518
"Today I'm not going to cry."

0:10:54.542,0:10:56.559
And I said, (Spanish) "Por qué, mi hija?"

0:10:56.583,0:11:00.542
She said, "Because I have been crying[br]for the past whole month,

0:11:01.708,0:11:04.643
because I didn't know where my mother was.

0:11:04.667,0:11:07.250
But tonight, I'm going to be with her."

0:11:08.583,0:11:13.059
The day I visited the detention[br]facility back in 2014,

0:11:13.083,0:11:16.292
there was a little boy[br]who approached me and asked me

0:11:17.917,0:11:20.542
for me to help him find his mom.

0:11:21.833,0:11:26.083
Well, that evening, when I was[br]at the humanitarian respite center,

0:11:27.042,0:11:29.250
the little boy walked in with his mother.

0:11:30.500,0:11:32.101
And as soon as he spotted me,

0:11:32.125,0:11:34.643
he runs toward me, I go down to greet him,

0:11:34.667,0:11:37.583
and he just throws himself to hug me.

0:11:38.875,0:11:40.143
It was so beautiful,

0:11:40.167,0:11:44.976
that was truly[br]a beautiful human encounter.

0:11:45.000,0:11:48.250
I think it's humanity at its best.

0:11:49.167,0:11:53.226
It is what we all are called to do.

0:11:53.250,0:11:54.500
Think about it.

0:11:55.875,0:12:01.125
We just need to allow ourselves[br]to get close enough to see,

0:12:01.958,0:12:03.208
and we will care.

0:12:04.083,0:12:05.351
Thank you.

0:12:05.375,0:12:09.625
(Applause)