Early in March, I shared the story of the Babaevski family. I was introduced to Kate Babaevski through the ESL program at Woodland Baptist Church in San Antonio. The director of the program, Diana Bridges, told me about the plight of Kate’s son and daughter-in-law, who, at that point, had been held for ten months in an ICE detention facility, despite having legally applied for asylum status with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. They were fleeing persecution from the Belarusian government amid mass arrests of participants in the 2020 pro-democracy demonstrations there.
I traveled to San Antonio to witness firsthand the incredible work with immigrants going on at Woodland. I also had lunch with Kate to learn about her family, the political situation in her country of origin, Belarus, and the current status of Lev and Volha Babaevski. The result of my trip to San Antonio was “Kate’s America.”
Lev Babaevski
When the story was released, I sensed despair had taken root in the Babaevski family. Correspondence between Lev and Kate, and Lev’s brothers, Alekandr and Raman, had grown sparse. Lev and Volha’s children had been separated from their parents for almost a year and were adjusting to their new lives with family in Georgia. Kate was learning to live with the uncertainty of when she would see her youngest son again.
The mood in the country was dark as well. ICE agents had killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti just a few weeks before, and there was a sense that we were settling into a long winter of proto-fascist immigration realities.
Then, in late March, I received a call with a simple message from Diana Bridges: “Lev and Volha have been released.” It was difficult to contain my tears. I was so happy for the Babaevnski family, and it felt like a rare glimmer of hope in an otherwise dark time.
Later that day, I read the news that Lev and Volha were just two of hundreds of thousands of people who had been detained after legally applying for status through a Biden-era mobile app and were being released. Their release resulted from a class action lawsuit filed by immigrants and immigration advocates, including our friends at Democracy Forward.
Kate’s story is so powerful because it reminds us that a mother’s love is universal, regardless of where that mother has come from or where she is going. It is a testament to the work of churches like Woodland and people like Diana Bridges, to faith communities who take the call of Jesus seriously, loving in such a way that it costs them something. Mostly, it is a reminder that hope is a powerful thing, and is made more powerful by standing up and fighting for justice.
Working on “Kate’s America” has been a highlight of my tenure as the senior editor at Good Faith Media (GFM). At GFM, we believe that storytelling is the most powerful tool we have to push back the darkness that seeks to exclude.
Yet we can’t do this work alone. GFM is a non-profit media organization that relies on the gifts of people of faith to continue telling stories that matter in the ongoing advancement of freedom and justice. If you would like to participate in our work, please consider becoming a Good Faith Advocate and making a tax-deductible gift today.
Kate and Lev Babaevski
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Senior Editor at Good Faith Media.