Let us welcome the stranger during this upcoming Year of Mercy

Friday, Dec. 04, 2015

On Dec. 8, the Catholic Church will begin the Year of Mercy, a time to reflect more intentionally on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.  Recent events around the globe show that we will have many opportunities to not only reflect on, but to practice the works of mercy.

We might enact mercy by welcoming a stranger like Ahmed Al Nassaf, a 23-year-old pharmacy student who spent 25 days traveling from Damascus to the Netherlands.  He arrived with nothing more than the clothes on his back, a passport, some money and a cell phone and charger.  This is all that he has as he attempts to start a new life far from his homeland. He fled Syria because of the violence; he hopes to return some day, but there is no guarantee that he will be able to go back.

Were Ahmed seeking refuge in the United States, he would have to clear multiple hurdles before ever setting foot in the U.S., a process that takes 18 months to two years. The first step would be securing a referral to the U.S. government from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the U.S. Embassy in the country of origin or asylum – in Ahmed’s case, the Netherlands – or a trained non-governmental organization.  

If Ahmed were referred to the U.S. as a candidate for refugee status, he would be sent to a Resettlement Support Center in the Netherlands. There, he would be interviewed. Personal data would be collected for the first of many security screenings by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which would also conduct an in-person interview.  Security checks by multiple U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies would have to be cleared before Ahmed would be allowed to continue the resettlement process.  

Assuming Ahmed cleared the security check, he then would be re-interviewed by an officer from the Department of Homeland Security’s Citizenship and Immigration Services. This interview would take place in the Netherlands as well. After the interview, Ahmed’s fingerprints would once more be run through U.S. databases to check for criminal activities or terrorist links.  

Once all security checks had been completed and cleared, Ahmed would undergo a medical screening.  If he makes it through all of the security and medical checks required by the U.S., he must still meet any requirements the Netherlands imposes on individuals leaving its borders. This will include additional security checks by officials in the Netherlands government. Only then would Ahmed be allowed to depart for the U.S.

If Ahmed did receive clearance to come to the U.S., he would be met at the airport by a Customs and Border Protection officer, who would ensure Ahmed is the same Ahmed who was cleared for admission as a refugee in the U.S.  Ahmed’s case would have already been referred to a U.S. government-approved agency for resettlement, such as Catholic Community Services in Utah, which must also report any suspected fraud back to the State Department of Homeland Security. 

Ahmed’s journey, like that of millions of other Syrian refugees, began months ago and would take many more months before he could enter the U.S. Despite the long and heightened security processes already in place for welcoming refugees into the U.S., the House of Representatives recently passed a bill imposing even more hurdles on people such as Ahmed. In the process, several members of congress have mocked the idea of mercy for refugees. 

Fortunately, our Catholic Church stands as a constant reminder of the importance of mercy in all aspects of our community, including our government processes.  The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and many local Catholics, have raised strong voices in support of all refugees, including those from Syria.  As the Year of Mercy begins, we must continue to be a voice for welcoming the stranger into our country, especially those fleeing the horrors of war.