Humiliating Treatment

The State Department must explain the detention of two Dominican priests, Regino Martínez and Rogelio Cruz, who were interrogated on Saturday by U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service officers and then released without being charged.

Immigration authorities failed to offer any type of information in regards to the unusual conduct toward the two priests who had arrived at this particular terminal from the Cibao airport with a destination of New York. Martínez was detained for 15 hours and Cruz for two hours.

Both priests were to participate in a social forum about immigration hosted by priest Luis Barrios, an activist known for his defense of Hispanic rights, who was sentenced to two months in prison for disobedience of the law and social rebellion.

The right of the United States government to deny admission of any foreign citizen into its territory is understood; however, it is the government’s obligation to observe and sustain the rights recognized by the Charter of the United Nations in regards to all citizens of the world, especially the rights of an affected party to be informed of the reason for his or her detention and providing, if necessary, the aid of a lawyer.

The unusual treatment of Regino, a priest from Dajabón, and Rogelio, of the San Francisco of Macorís diocese, draws attention because both men have previously traveled to the United States without prior detention or interrogation.

The Catholic Church should demand an explanation from the State Department for the undoubtedly humiliating treatment of these priests who, although they have no criminal record, were subjected to interrogations and then released without ever being informed of the reasons for their mistreatment.

In light of the failure of acting officials to offer explanations, there is reason to speculate that the detention of Regino and Rogelio was linked to their participation in a social forum in New York as well as their relationship with Barrios, who has been declared by authorities to be a rebellious priest.

Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez will be sure to demand, through appropriate means, that the State Department disclose the reasons for the mistreatment suffered by two sheep of his flock, whose only sin has been that of promoting solidarity among suffering immigrants who are subjected to cruel forms of economic discrimination and social marginality.