I have some unanswered questions about the Dallas ICE facility shooting. In addition to writing for Baptist News Global, I also serve as justice and advocacy minister at Royal Lane Baptist Church in Dallas. In that role, I joined a…
Yes, violence is not the answer
Three days ago, as I arrived at the Nashville airport, I watched ICE agents detain a well-dressed Hispanic young man and disappear him through a side door as masses of travelers streamed by, no one stopping to notice what was…
‘Interfaith Imam’ released from ICE custody
Imam Ayman Soliman has been released from an Ohio jail after the federal government dropped its deportation case against him and fully reinstated the asylum status he was granted in 2018. The former Cincinnati Children’s Hospital chaplain and Egyptian immigrant…
What to do if ICE shows up at your door
I’m self-soothing during these “unprecedented times” by learning about my Constitutional rights and teaching others. I’m not a lawyer and I can’t offer legal advice, but I can offer resources. If you, your employees or your neighbors and friends are…
Who wants to be an ICE agent?
A centerpiece of the “big beautiful bill,” as the recently passed tax and spending act was dubbed by President Donald Trump, is a massive funding appropriation for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security. The…
Most Americans don’t like Trump’s immigration crackdown
One of the latest surveys on American attitudes toward U.S. immigration policies shows President Donald Trump is decidedly “underwater” on the issue. The Navigator Research study released last month found 47% of registered voters approve of the administration’s handling of…
A quiet call to national repentance
Cruelty is a sin. That such a self-evident truth might need to be said out loud never had occurred to me until recently; my own nation’s current campaign of cruelty against migrating people prompting me to say what should go…
‘There really is no escape’: Faith leaders help immigrants face court as ICE arrests rise
San Diego Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Pulido noticed the way a father held his young daughter and stood close to his wife and teenage daughter in the courtroom. The love and care they had for each other was palpable on Tuesday…
This is what your indifference has done
A few weeks ago, one of my dearest friends called me on a Saturday evening from the floor of his apartment closet, where he was huddled in fear of ICE breaking down his door. My friend lives on the 25th…
Retired pastor invites community to advocate for immigrants
Retired United Methodist pastor Jerry Eckert knows a lot about advocating for folks who may not have someone to stand up for their rights. Eckert was a co-founder of a volunteer group, Associates in Advocacy, that provides advocates — usually…
Everything is connected: A snapshot of Dallas, ICE and gerrymandering
For the last three months, I have been part of a weekly clergy and faith leader’s prayer vigil that holds space and bears witness to the plight of our immigrant neighbors. The vigil takes place outside of the Dallas Immigration…
‘This is domestic terror’: Shaken by ICE raids, pastors rethink ministries
When the Rev. Tanya Lopez talks about the day in June when she had to confront masked agents in her church parking lot, she focuses on the man they detained. As the pastor of Downey Memorial Christian Church near Los…