Human rights groups are lining up in support of new legislation designed to help states and cities welcome asylum seekers and refugees into local communities. The Destination Reception Assistance Act, introduced in Congress July 30, seeks to expand the federal…
Fellowship Southwest joins bridge walk to draw attention to broken asylum system
A procession of ecumenical walkers supporting asylum rights offered prayers and solidarity for migrants and a shot in the arm for weary immigration advocates last weekend at the Texas-Mexico border. “It was encouraging to my faith and to my work…
Passport announces new cross-cultural youth camps
Passport Inc. is collaborating with five major faith-based organizations to launch a new series of summer camps designed to foster cross-cultural experiences between youth from diverse racial and economic backgrounds. Passport President David Burroughs said the program will be distinct…
CBF Emergency Response grant feeds multitudes of migrants
“Loaves and fishes” come to mind when people think about a Brownsville, Texas, church’s ministry to migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. And a recent Cooperative Baptist Fellowship grant illustrates why. The New Testament describes how Jesus fed at least 5,000…
Advocacy involves a range of issues, shares a core faith, CBF panelists say
The range of advocacy is as varied as the people who need others to speak on their behalf, but it is grounded in a sense of calling, a panel of advocates said during the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s General Assembly in…
What happens after Title 42?
The Biden administration has begun preparing to end Title 42, the COVID-19 order that authorizes the rapid expulsion of migrants, primarily to Mexico, on May 11. The administration will impose penalties for those who enter the U.S. without inspection while…
When a Mexican cartel kidnapped a Baptist pastor, they got more than they bargained for
A Mexican cartel got more than it bargained for earlier this month by kidnapping Lorenzo Ortiz, an American pastor who operates shelters for asylum seekers and other migrants south of the U.S.-Mexico border. His abduction at 6 p.m. June 2…
Title 42 is expelling the good people, not the bad people, border advocate explains
Claims that Title 42 protects Americans from foreign criminals ignore the realities of migrant life at the U.S.-Mexico border, an immigration advocate and attorney recently told a Baptist Sunday school class in Texas. The fact is that the drug cartels…
7 reasons to calm down about the termination of Title 42
On April 1, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the pending termination of Title 42, the order that authorizes the rapid expulsion of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border due to the threat of COVID-19. The decision caused…