Immigrants and their allies are calling for bold and creative Congressional action after a U.S. Senate official blocked a Democratic attempt to address immigration reform through a $3.5 trillion budget proposal. Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough this week ruled that budget…
Paradoxical reflections on a significant birthday
Happy birthday to me. There, we got that out of the way. This week, I’m celebrating a “significant” birthday. It’s not round. It’s a gateway. My wife, Joanna, will celebrate the same-number feliz cumpleaños in five months. Because of those…
Why all the fuss about the ‘Remain in Mexico’ immigration policy?
How would you feel if someone you trust harmed you as badly or worse than someone who beat you? On an international level, that’s what the U.S. immigration policy known as Migrant Protection Protocols — or MPP, or “Remain in…
With refugee and immigrant ministries already on high alert, Supreme Court delivers an unwanted message
While the nation’s agencies serving refugees and immigrants are scrambling to welcome thousands of Afghan refugees, the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to their advocacy on another front Aug. 24 by telling the Biden administration it must reinstate the…
Pressure mounts on White House to rescind another Trump immigration policy
The pressure is steadily mounting on President Joe Biden to rescind a federal health code provision allowing the U.S. to summarily expel asylum seekers and immigrants to the home countries where they faced persecution. Immigrant rights groups, including Baptist and…
Politics, partisanship and the powerless
Can you think of a word more maligned than “politics”? Some people believe it’s a dirty term affixed to a despicable craft. That’s because, for the most part, it’s practiced so poorly. People watch politicians engage in politics, and they…
As VP Harris heads to Guatemala, evangelical leaders urge U.S. to address root causes of migration
As Vice President Kamala Harris headed to Guatemala this week as part of a campaign to address the root cause of the surge in migration to the United States, she was among recipients of a letter from a group of…
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…
Biden administration begins next push to reunite children separated from families by Trump
Immigrant rights groups and faith leaders applauded the announcement that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security this week will begin a new phase of reunification for families separated from their children at the U.S.-Mexico border by the Trump administration. Alejandro…