Pastor Margarita’s story: Navegando Con Jesús (Walking with Jesus)
by Rev. Walter Contreras, Evangelical Covenant Church & Rev. Alexia Salvatierra, Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice
“Señor que mi vida sea reemplazada por la tuya, que sea una sola con la del Señor Jesucristo” (Lord, let my life be replaced by your life, that I may be one with the Lord Jesus Christ.) This was the prayer of Margarita Monsalve, Pastor of Navegando con Jesús Ministries (a mission to low-income and drug-addicted youth and families in Torrance, California) as she sat in a county jail with her daughter last month, awaiting deportation to Colombia.
Margarita’s story is a window into the broken immigration system and its impact on families around the country. She came to this country in 1990, fleeing ‘communist guerrillas’ in Colombia who had targeted her family because of their leadership in the business community. Upon her arrival, Margarita and her family applied for political asylum but her petition was not successful due to the ill council of their attorney at the time. Unfortunately, once a final deportation order has been issued, it is extremely difficult to re-open the case. According to retired immigration judge Bruce Einhorn, “it takes 20 years and a million dollars to overturn a deportation order, no matter how much error was involved.”
Fearing for their lives if they returned to Colombia, Margarita and her family decided to stay in this country. For years, they lived quietly in their community. During this time, Margarita was called to ministry. Today, Pastor Margarita continues to build and strengthen a flourishing ministry to the “least of these.” Her ministry has transformed the lives of multiple youth who have gone on to college, Bible College and Seminary as a result.
In July of 2010, Margarita’s adult daughter (married to a US Citizen with a 6 year old son) was stopped on the street on her way to work by immigration agents. They then picked up Margarita who was at home caring for her grandson, Raymond. They were taken to the local jail to spend the night in the tank with prostitutes and other local criminals. Only the powerful prayer of several churches stopped her immediate deportation. She is now fighting for the right to stay in this country and continue her ministry, with the support and advocacy of local churches.
However, the current ineffective, illogical and inhumane system is stacked against her. At any point, Margarita can be taken away from her family and sent to Colombia, the place she had to flee from to save her life. Furthermore, it has been recorded that “in the last three years, more than 130 Protestant church leaders and many Roman Catholic priests have been assassinated in Colombia (Christian Solidarity Worldwide).” Brothers and sisters there is no moral justification for sending Pastor Margarita to a place that would put her life at risk. The only way we can assure Margarita’s safety is through a comprehensive and human reform to our current immigration system.
Read more about Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform here
