When I talk to people about why I — a pastor at my church — believe refugees should be welcomed in our country, my rationale is simple: Jesus was a refugee. One would think that message would resonate with others…
Religious groups oppose Texas governor’s attempt to shut down migrant shelters
Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent order that the state of Texas revoke the licenses of shelters that house migrant children didn’t sit well with the Biden administration, and it didn’t go over well with religious groups, either. The Republican governor’s recent…
Immigration advocates applaud official end of ‘remain in Mexico’ policy
The Biden Administration has officially ended a 2019 immigration policy that forced tens of thousands of Central American refugees to remain in dangerous Mexican cities to await asylum hearings as they seek entry into the United States. President Joe Biden…
Dreamers want White House and Congress to do more for their protection
The Biden Administration must do more to protect DACA than invite Dreamers to the White House and streamline the bureaucratic process that grants temporary residency to immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally as children, recipients of the program say. So…
With a Catholic president in office, America’s bishops threaten to sanction him over abortion
U.S. Protestants are not alone in believing modern-day politics are rending their fellowships in two. American Catholics are fighting about the same things, only this time with one of their own sitting in the White House. Joe Biden’s election as…
Biden administration rushing to strengthen DACA, official says
The Biden Administration isn’t waiting for Congress to act before working to strengthen DACA, the Obama-era program that provides legal residency to immigrants who came to the U.S. as children, a high-ranking federal immigration official said during a May 17…
Faith leaders express joy as Biden finally raises ceiling for refugee admissions to 62,500
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…
The State of the Union felt like an old-fashioned revival to me
Long ago, my fourth grade teacher warned me: “Jordan, if you want to be a preacher some day you have to give up on politics. Religion and politics just don’t mix.” I always was a good student, but maybe not…
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…
As unaccompanied children surge across the border again, Baptist ministries retool
A massive facility for immigrant children run by a Baptist-affiliated nonprofit has been reopened after sitting dormant for 20 months. The Carrizo Springs Influx Care Facility in Carrizo Springs, Texas, is operated by BCFS, formerly known as Baptist Child and…
Biden reestablishes Faith-based Partnerships Office and names Melissa Rogers to lead it
A familiar face to Baptist religious liberty advocates has been named to lead the newly reconstituted White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Melissa Rogers will lead the office, an appointment announced by President Joe Biden on Sunday morning,…
Amid pandemic and other distractions, Americans not paying as much attention to immigration policy
While being against immigration was a key component of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and being for immigration was a key component of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign, the pandemic has taken Americans’ minds off the immigration debate as a…