After an outcry from the faith community and immigration advocates, the Biden administration May 3 fully reversed course and returned to its earlier plan to raise the ceiling for refugee admissions this fiscal year to 62,500 people. That will be…
Biden administration skewered for keeping Trump-era cap on refugee resettlement
Immigration advocates — including numerous faith-based groups — reacted harshly to the Biden administration’s April 16 announcement that it would not, after all, raise the ceiling for admission of refugees this year. The blowback was so swift and harsh that…
This week, we witnessed a miracle of immigrant family reunification
There are miracles that happen around us every day. But most of those are ordinary miracles. The fact that the sun rises each day is amazing. But I also believe, each day, that it will happen. Then there are miracles…
Anticipating a new day in immigration policy, a pastor, pilot and bricklayer keep an eye on Biden’s next move
In Johannesburg, South Africa, 8,000 miles away from the White House, Achy, a 39-year-old immigrant Baptist pastor from Zimbabwe, relentlessly watches events in Washington. From double impeachment to Biden’s first 100 days in office — on paper this stuff should…
Breathe free, huddled masses; we’re sorry for how our nation treated you
The Statue of Liberty, Mother of Exiles, stands a little taller this week. Her fabled torch shines brighter. Once again, she beckons her welcome to “huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Our presidential election signals a change at our borders….
The true story of two immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S. and the pastor who’s helping them
Michael Wangai (not his real name) has been in U.S. immigration “detention” since August 2019. The only crime he has committed is seeking political asylum in the United States with a certainty that if he returns to his home country…
Faith-based groups unite to denounce Trump’s further gutting of legal refugee resettlement
An array of American faith-based organizations roundly condemned President Trump’s Sept. 30 decision to limit refugee resettlement in 2021 to no more than 15,000. That would be the lowest level on record, following a year that already brough an 80%…
Religion Notes: Fellowship Southwest seeks volunteers for the border; BWIM seeks women for mentor program
Fellowship Southwest appeals for volunteers to help churches on U.S./Mexican border A Cooperative Baptist Fellowship organization focused on the U.S.-Mexico border said it has mission and ministry opportunities for volunteers interested in serving asylum seekers on both sides of the…
Storytelling helps pastor deal with suffering witnessed at U.S.-Mexico border
The pain and suffering Jennifer Wilder witnessed at the U.S.-Mexico border earlier this year shook her to the core. Wilder, the pastor of Broadview Baptist Church in Sunderland, Maryland, spent parts of January and February as a volunteer providing pastoral…