By Ana Rodriguez Soto - The Archdiocese of Miami

MIAMI SHORES | Calling its annual awards banquet a “block party” for a very diverse neighborhood, Catholic Legal Services of the Archdiocese of Miami bestowed New American honors on three South Floridians whose lives prove that “immigrants are not a problem to be solved but a people to be helped.”

Those are Archbishop Thomas Wenski’s oft-repeated words, as quoted by Randolph McGrorty, chief executive officer of Catholic Legal Services. McGrorty and the archbishop were about to honor Dr. Doured Daghistani, late Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, and Republican political commentator and strategist Ana Navarro.

Daghistani is a Syria-born physician specializing in pediatrics and pediatric oncology who works as chief of staff at Baptist Hospital. He was described as “a leader in the fight to stop the bloodshed in Syria” and in 2015 became the first Muslim to be honored for his humanitarian work by the Miami Coalition of Christians and Jews.

Born in Damascus, Daghistani did his residency and fellowship at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital. He and his wife have lived here permanently since 1991. Their daughter attended Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Coconut Grove.

 

Pitching ace

The Cuba-born Fernandez died last September at age 24 in a tragic boating accident off Miami Beach. He made three unsuccessful attempts to defect from the island � and was jailed after each try � before finally succeeding in 2008. He was 16 at the time. During the final voyage, he dived into turbulent waters to save a person who had gone overboard. That person turned out to be his mother.

They settled in Tampa, and Fernandez was the Marlins’ first-round draft pick in 2011. He was named National League Rookie of the Year after his first season as a pro in 2013. During his four years in the major leagues, he played in two All-Star games, despite being sidelined by elbow surgery for nearly the entire 2014 season.

His mother, Maritza Gomez, tearfully accepted the New American award on his behalf, in the presence of other family members, his girlfriend, Maria Arias, and their newborn daughter, Penelope.

Speaking through a translator, Gomez said one of her son’s proudest moments occurred off the baseball field � when he became a U.S. citizen in 2015. She also thanked the Catholic Church for being present “at the most difficult times in my life.”

‘Imperfect Catholic’

Navarro, born in Nicaragua, has lived in Miami since age 8. She was described as “one of the leading Hispanic Republican political voices in the United States,” often appearing as a commentator on CNN, ABC and Telemundo. Navarro graduated from Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Coconut Grove and obtained a law degree from the University of Miami.

Described in the awards program as “honest � blunt � and speaking truth to power, often with humor,” Navarro did not disappoint in her brief remarks.

She noted that “I’m a proud Catholic. But I’m not a perfect Catholic,” and said she tried to convince Catholic Legal Services not to honor her. “The good news is we’ve got a pope who cuts us imperfect people some slack.”

Navarro credited Carrollton and the Sacred Heart sisters for “all the good things” she has learned, and “politicians and Cuban men” for all the bad ones. She thanked one Carrollton “teacher and mentor” in particular. Sister Georgie Blaeser, who died last June, sent Navarro on a three-month internship with Catholic Charities in San Francisco during the summer of her junior year.

“I was a self-centered, smart-mouthed brat,” Navarro recalled. “She wanted to teach me empathy.”

At the time, the San Francisco agency was headed by attorney and Sacred Heart Sister Barbara Dawson, now the congregation’s worldwide superior. “I think she should be pope,” Navarro said, adding that the experience “changed my life and shaped who I am.”

Noting that the Sacred Heart women are guided by five principles, she confessed she does not do well with the first four. Her favorite is the fifth: “a social awareness that compels to action.”

“That means being aware of what is going on around you � the pain, the injustices, the oppression, the problems and challenges, and acting to try to be part of the solution,” Navarro said. “We can’t look the other way. We have to speak up and act up and stand up � now more than ever.”

Navarro also noted that, “but for the grace of God,” she and many of the nearly 300 people at the New Americans dinner May 3 could have been “dreamers” � young adults who were brought to the U.S. as children by parents who were undocumented.

Their legal status is in limbo although President Obama’s executive order, DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), has given them a temporary reprieve from deportation.

“We must support them. We must embrace them,” Navarro said.

She also praised the work of the Catholic Church through agencies such as Catholic Legal Services. “If they see people in need, they help them. If they see people being persecuted, they defend them. If they see people being rejected, they stand with them,” Navarro said.

According to figures cited by IMPAC (Immigration Partnership and Coalition Fund), a newly-formed, pro-immigration coalition of South Florida civic and business leaders, about 20 percent of Floridians are immigrants � both documented and undocumented � and they pay about $22 billion in taxes each year.

“Right now, our neighbors are very frightened,” McGrorty said, alluding to Homeland Security’s stepped up deportation efforts under President Trump’s administration. He said absenteeism at work and school has increased as “many people have chosen to remain homebound.”

He added that, aside from raising funds for the work of Catholic Legal Services, the New American Awards are a way of “celebrating the rich diversity of our honorees and all the talents of immigrants.”

‘IN THE TRENCHES’

Catholic Legal Services is the only South Florida organization that provides legal representation to impoverished immigrants seeking asylum, permanent residency and family reunification.

Its 45-person staff � including 22 attorneys � helped more than 9,000 people last year. On average, they see about 3,000 people a month at their offices in downtown Miami, Doral and Miramar. Clients last year hailed from 180 different countries, and the staff represents 11 nationalities, according to CEO Randolph McGrorty.

The agency has recruited volunteer attorneys from the community to represent many of the unaccompanied minors who came through the U.S.-Mexico border in 2015.

It also is one of the sponsoring agencies for the New Americans Campaign, which encourages and helps legal residents to become citizens.

“We don’t turn people away,” said Bruce Solow, president of the board of Catholic Legal Services. “We’re the only organization in the trenches.” 

Correction: The original version of this article gave the wrong name and description for IMPAC, a newly-formed pro-immigrant coalition of South Florida business and civic leaders. For more information on the group, click here.