Dr. Josue Grijalva was the president of the Hispanic Baptist Theological Seminary in San Antonio (now known as The Baptist University of the Americas) and a graduate of Howard Payne University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
He described the horrifying deportation his family experienced in his book, "A History of Mexican Baptists in Texas 1881-1981", (1982, pp. 49-51).
The Grijalva family were U.S. Citizens. Furthermore, Dr. Grijalva was born in San Antonio, Texas.
It was the early 1930's, the Hoover administration's response to the country's economic depression was to blame "foreigners" in particular Mexicans and to deport them to Mexico. Immigration officers in Texas went to homes with Spanish surnames and immediately deported them.
Grijalva's father was offered only $200 for their home and property. It took two years for the family to return to San Antonio. The determination and hard work it must have taken the Grijalva family to re-enter their home country. I wonder what Josue felt when he recited The Pledge of Allegiance at school and repeated the words "with liberty and justice for all." There is no doubt that the forced deportation from their home was a betrayal trauma experience for Dr. Grijalva who was a ten year-old child at the time.
Our country's citizens, especially Mexican Americans and Tejanos, have seen the Trump Deportations before, in the early 1930's under President Herbert Hoover and in the 1950's under President Dwight Eisenhower (Operation Wetback). Historians estimate that 60% of immigrants deported were U.S. Citizens. However Trump has expanded past presidents' deportation military tactics by immediately banishing U.S. citizens and immigrants without evidence and due process to another country's prison.
The Trump Immigrant Deportations are lawless, in violation of fundamental rights and the Constitution. The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of our land. The deportation of U.S. Citizens is a treasonous act by the President and his administration.
Trump's deportation scheme is a show that will not yield positive results, only exacerbate trauma, deaths, and national damage to the principles of democracy. Everybody knows this "ad nauseum".
The Republican Congressional majority betrayed their oath to support and to defend the Constitution. They abandoned their constitutional duty by not stopping the President's excessive use of authority and blatant violation of the Constitution.
Unsurprisingly the "tyranny of the majority" have absolute free rein to target their treachery upon any one or any group. Congress ought to be working at creating a functional immigration system to replace the broken system we currently have. Is there the ethical and political will to do this?
The silence and lack of protest by the sectors of American society that financially benefit from immigrants is a tell. But what is stunning is the silence of Baptist leaders.
However Dr. Grijalva was not silent, he included his family's deportation experience in his book. Until those voices are heard loudly, we will continue to watch the American Nightmare unfold as the Secretary of Homeland Security disgraces herself by parading in front of caged shirtless Latino men in their boxer underwear, trying to shamelessly convince us that the President and his administration are "El Cucuy".
Editor’s Note: The above guest column was penned by Dr. Delfino Alemán, a retired Public School Executive Leadership Coach. Alemán held executive posts in school districts across Texas, Arizona and California. He began his career as a teacher in the Fort Worth Independent School District. The column appears in the Rio Grande Guardian with the author’s consent.
Joshua Grijalva was born March 9, 1922 in San Antonio, Texas. He grew up in a Christian home and at the age of 10 accepted Christ and was baptized into the membership of the Calvary Baptist (Mexican) Church in San Antonio. He completed his B.A. degree at Howard Payne University in 1944 and his B.D. degree at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth in 1947.
He concluded his educational training with his D.Min. degree from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, Texas in 1981.
Grijalva served as pastor to churches in San Antonio and Denver, Colorado, before serving as Dean of the Hispanic Baptist Theological Seminary in San Antonio form 1962-1981. This appointment was through the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. From 1981-1989 he served with the Home Mission Board as the National Consultant of Ethnic Leadership Development. In 1989 he was named President of the Hispanic Baptist Theological Seminary. He served in this position until his retirement on May 31, 1993. He continued to be active in retirement, working with other retired ministers. Grijalva served Southern Baptists on several SBC boards and has mentored hundreds of young pastors and leaders. He is the author of 22 books as well as numerous articles for journals and magazines. He died on April 4, 2018.
Editor's Note: The above biographical information was penned by the Southern Baptist Historical Library & Archives.
