U.S. and international religious leaders have sent a letter to President Joe Biden and other government officials pleading with the administration to abandon plans to issue a travel ban and other severe restrictions on asylum seekers. Especially egregious to the…
A true account of one migrant’s journey north
Anyra Cano, director of programs and outreach for Fellowship Southwest, recently interviewed a young man from South America who was released from a U.S. immigration detention center. To protect his identity, that man is identified here as “PR.” PR,…
That time I was suddenly responsible for getting nine migrants through security at DFW Airport
Even though I graduated from both high school and college in New Mexico, my Spanish is pretty bad. But I understood clearly what Pastor Isabel Marquez was telling the 52 migrants gathered in a small room at Oak Lawn United…
White House approves 18-month extension of TPS for Haitian refugees as conditions worsen
The White House this week approved 18 months of additional Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals already in the U.S. and opened the door for newer arrivals to apply for the legal protection assuming they entered the country before Nov…
An agnostic teaches us about Jesus
Nearly a decade ago, I had a pleasant surprise. I received an email from a friend I had not seen or heard from since the late 1960s. Charles lived two doors down from us, and we spent many hours playing…
Religion, race and politics are key factors in attitudes on welcoming refugees
Research into American attitudes about welcoming Afghan, Ukrainian and other refugees into the nation confirms how closely religion, race and politics have become intwined in the United States. “For instance, Hispanic evangelicals, Black Protestants and white nonevangelical Protestants are all…
At long last, Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy appears to be dead
The White House is pulling the plug on the Migrant Protection Protocols after a federal judge on Aug. 8 lifted an injunction requiring the continued use of the Trump administration anti-asylum policy. The action by Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk in…
Immigration advocates urge U.S. to reform cruel, broken asylum system
It’s one thing to hear or read about Title 42 but quite another to experience the Trump-era immigration policy firsthand, a Haitian asylum seeker said during a recent webinar hosted by interfaith immigration advocates. In fact, Title 42 is a…
Displaced by the war in Ukraine, some African students battle to continue their education in Germany
Three months after Russian soldiers invaded and unleashed war in Ukraine, some displaced African students determined to continue with their educations are finding it difficult to gain residence permits in European countries like Germany. This is happening against the backdrop…