From The Banner · Ginny Bixby,Kasturi Pananjady · · 3m
Priest takes on 31 children of deported parents
Maryland priest signs up to be standby guardian for 31 children whose parents face deportation.
In brief
Maryland priest signs up to be standby guardian for 31 children whose parents face deportation. Rev. Vidal Rivas, a 62-year-old priest in Hyattsville, Maryland, has become standby guardian for 31 children whose parents could be detained under Trump administration immigration policies. Originally reported by The Banner.
Rev. Vidal Rivas
The Rev. Vidal Rivas is the senior priest at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Hyattsville.
31 children at risk
Over the past four years, the priest has agreed to serve as the standby guardian for 31 children whose parents could be detained under the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown.
Standby guardianship
A standby guardian is someone who has been legally designated to care for a child under 18 and can make medical and educational decisions for them.
Maryland’s law
Maryland has one of the nation’s most generous standby guardianship laws, a legal tool now reluctantly employed by immigrant parents in Rivas’ church who are reacting to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
Rivas’ role
Rivas has cared for two children, a toddler boy and his baby sister, from January to July of this year.
ICE impact
ICE’s aggressive deportation efforts have hurt his church, with at least 15 parishioners deported since Trump’s reelection and almost a third of the congregation no longer attending services.
Rivas’ quote
‘I ask God to never change my head or change my heart, because that doesn’t belong to me,’ said Rivas.
“I ask God to never change my head or change my heart, because that doesn’t belong to me”
Child care
Rivas changed Pampers for a toddler and baby sister, saying he was their father.
Deportation fears
Rivas counts at least 15 parishioners who have been deported since Trump’s reelection and estimates that almost a third of the congregation no longer attend services for fear of ICE raids.
ICE threat
Fears heightened last month when the Trump administration threatened, and then held back from, ending temporary protected status for roughly 200,000 Salvadoran immigrants.
Rivas’ decision
Rivas said he was the only trusted adult available for many families who needed standby guardianship.
Parent testimony
‘When I was caught, I was worried about my family,’ wrote a parent who arranged for standby guardianship and was then detained by ICE.
“When I was caught, I was worried about my family”
Maryland law
Maryland allows standby guardians to assume custody without court intervention for up to six months, unlike many other states that require court filings.
Rivas’ commitment
Rivas will continue serving as a standby guardian as long as families need him, and will help recruit others.
In short
Rev. Vidal Rivas, a 62-year-old priest in Hyattsville, Maryland, has become standby guardian for 31 children whose parents could be detained under Trump administration immigration policies.
