The night was cold, but the spirit burned with joy among dozens of parishioners of the Mother of the Assumption Church in Boyle Heights, who participated in a posada, a pastorela, and received sweets, gifts, a free dinner, and broke pinatas.

In this same setting, families, mostly immigrants of Mexican origin, celebrated their traditions from their places of origin together, amidst widespread fear because of the immigration raids carried out with excessive violence.

Attendees also deeply lamented the separation of families caused by the Trump administration's attack on Latinos.

Juan Venancio, a "pastor" in the cast of the Christmas play, revealed that his aunt, Cecilia Martinez, was deported in October. She was arrested while on her way to pick up her daughter from the child protective services office in Salinas, California.

He also recounted that three day laborers were arrested on September 16 by ICE in the parking lot of the business located at 2707 Towne Avenue. One of them was someone he knew.

"My friend was on his way to work, but the agents stopped his car and forced him to get out," he said. “They took him away to deport him.”

Venancio lamented that the Christmas holidays “aren’t being celebrated like before.”

“Right now, people aren’t going out much,” added the immigrant originally from Puebla, Mexico. “They are afraid and prefer to stay home.”

Celebration on private property

Prior to the Nativity play, at least a hundred parishioners from the Mother of the Assumption parish, located on Blanchard Avenue, prayed the glorious mysteries of the rosary, no longer in the streets, but inside the church and around the parking lot.

In that same area, they brought to life the posada, the Mexican Christmas tradition that commemorates Mary and Joseph's pilgrimage seeking lodging nine days before the birth of the Christ Child at Christmas, in a manger in Bethlehem.

“In the name of heaven I ask you for lodging, for my beloved wife can walk no further,” was the verse sung by the pilgrims,led by Saint Joseph (Enrique Rosas, from the state of Hidalgo) and the Virgin Mary (Rafaela Aguirre, from Veracruz).

Historically, the posadas began in Mexico around 1587, thanks to the Augustinian friars at the San Agustin Acolman convent in the State of Mexico, who obtained permission from Pope Sixtus V to hold “Christmas Masses” and evangelize the indigenous peoples, according to the Mexican government's Ministry of Culture.

“This isn't an inn, keep going, I can't open up, lest you be some rogue,” the “landlords” responded, denying lodging to Joseph and Mary. Among them were parishioners Patricia Torres, Marina Gonzalez, Salvador Andrade, Patricia Rodriguez, Rosenda Kuk, Maria Isabel, and Angeles Sanchez.

“I ask that you welcome us as your own country,” declared the “Virgin Mary,” Rafaela Aguirre. “We’ve been living here for so many years, and they won’t give us papers.” She, a former garment worker, emigrated to the United States 28 years ago.

'Sad because we have to work in fear'

“Saint Joseph” or Enrique Rosas expressed that the nativity play “thank God turned out more or less well.”

Rosas highlighted the unity of the Mexican people in putting on the theatrical performance as a great value, even though he had only rehearsed five times.

“In this church, we are all good friends,” said Rosas, who emphasized that the nativity play has an important connection to the lives of immigrants in the United States, particularly this year under the administration of President Donald Trump.

“In recent months, President Trump has treated us very badly, and you live in fear that at any moment they could arrest you or a family member,” he stated. “It’s difficult, but right now this Christmas play cheers us up a little. But yes, we’re a little sad because we have to work in fear.”

From Monday to Friday, the immigrant, born in Hidalgo, Mexico, goes out to deliver tortillas for a company. He travels from Los Angeles to Camarillo and has had to pass close to immigration raids.

“That’s the fear I travel with every day,” Rosas said. “It’s living in uncertainty, but we must remember that everyone who came to this country was also an immigrant.” As of October 27, data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) indicates that more than two million undocumented immigrants left the United States in 2025, including approximately 600,000 deportations and 1.6 million voluntary departures since January. “This is just the beginning. President Trump and Secretary [Kristy] Noem have revitalized an agency that was paralyzed and unable to do its job for the past four years,” said DHS Deputy Secretary Tricia MgLaughlin.

'A Demented President'

Observing the posada and later the pastorela from a distance, Linda Lara, a catechist from La Asuncion, said she believes immigrants, especially Mexicans, appreciate the posadas more because of their deep faith in the Virgin Mary.

“In some way, we are all immigrants, even if we go back years,” she stated. “I think all immigrants understand, appreciate, and value their faith and hope in Jesus.”

She expressed that the repeated violence in the detentions, arrests, and deportations of immigrant children, youth, adults, and pregnant women “hurts.”

“There is no reason for it,” she declared. “We have never had this problem with what I would call a demented president.”

She explained that she did not vote for the President of the United States. She never believed he was a man of morals.

“And what is true is that our country was built on immigrants, and they are trying to take all of that away. The United States was not built thanks to Americans.”

Linda Lara believes that the immigrant community must continue to have faith, despite the president.

“I don’t listen to the nonsense on television or the internet, because the more you do, I don’t know if it’s brainwashing,” she added. “You simply have to trust in your faith and in how you were raised and keep going. Even if they are small steps, we have to move forward, even if we feel like we are being dragged backward.”

'An ambitious and jealous king'

A radiant light appeared on the platform and an angel appeared (Sofia Rosas). The 12-year-old girl announces to the Virgin, “Hail Mary, full of grace… The Lord is with you, Holy Virgin Mary… You have been chosen, and in your virginal womb the Messiah, the Lord, will be incarnated.” Following the scene of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, a city in the region of Judea (present-day Palestine), where the three wise men travel to offer him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh: Balthazar (Manuel Ochoa), Melchior (Cesar Herrera), and Gaspar (Manuel Lopez). “These traditions of the posada and the pastorela are essential to our faith,” said parish priest Antonio Galindo Leon. “Jesus Christ came with the poor. He was a migrant. He was just a little boy and had to flee Herod’s persecution. An ambitious and jealous king. And Joseph and Mary had to go to Egypt to save their son’s life. And he had to spend years in another culture, another language. And that is what we celebrate. God’s love for us, for all of us who are children of God, but especially for the poorest.”

An ambitious would-be king like the one who is mistreating immigrants in this country?

“People were expecting a Messiah with great power, with weapons, with armies,And then came the complete opposite, a humble, simple Jesus. And that is the spirit we must embrace,” said Father Galindo. “So, judging and examining are important because we must analyze the state of the authorities of our time and whether they are failing us all. We must recognize and take a stand against lovelessness and injustice.” “We must have hope,” summarized Josue Martinez, director of the Nativity play. “We Catholics have to be a light to the world. Every cloud has a silver lining, and we believe that after the storm will come the calm, and we will be able to regularize our immigration status.” In the end, the cold night passed, and the parishioners warmed their spirits enjoying champurrado and ponche, as well as free pozole served by members of the Worldwide Marriage Encounter. “We are preparing for the coming of the Lord,” commented Margarita Salazar, whose husband, Ismael Salazar, couldn't keep up with cooking hundreds of churros for the children. “It is a great joy to experience Christmas,” said Salazar, originally from Sinaloa. “All that's left is to break the pinatas.”

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