November 22, 2025
Everyone Deserves Respect
Z. lives with her mother and children. When we knocked on her door on a sunny Saturday morning, she was cooking; her mother stepped in at the stove so she could talk, and as we were leaving, more family members were arriving. She shared deep fears about ICE raids in her community: “They are not just taking people who are criminals. They are taking people who look and speak like me.” Z. has her papers and isn’t personally at risk, but she knows others aren’t as protected and that the process takes years. Her daughter, a high school student, worries about ICE coming to school and has told her about teachers who try to protect immigrant students. On top of that, Z. is juggling rising electricity bills, expensive groceries, and the challenge of securing health care for her mother. If she had a moment with President Trump, she said she would ask him to show respect for ordinary people: “Everyone deserves respect. Everyone needs to follow the law.” Z. votes regularly and pushes her adult children and nephews to vote too. When we asked how she copes with the stress, she said simply: “I vote and I pray. That’s what I do.”
Tags:
ICE, Immigration, Schools, Healthcare, Rising Costs, Economic Stability, Family, Friends & Neighbors
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