Separated: Inside an American Tragedy

by Jacob Soboroff

I brought with me the fifty-page document that informed Lucy Boutte’s presentation and asked him why they were going from church to church preparing families for immigration enforcement. “I have been talking about stopping the deportation for a long time. Because it’s breaking families. And it’s destroying the lives of people.” “Do you see what you’re doing here in Los Angeles as a conflict with the Trump administration?” “We’ve been doing this for a long time, as I said, before with the Obama administration and now with the Trump administration. Because we want the undocumented people to really be a part of our society.” “You think the pope would like this plan?” I wondered aloud, waving the antideportation document. Gomez laughed. “I’m sure that he does. I’ve talked to him several times. He’s always encouraging me to help people. Whatever they need.”