“They killed the boy.” That was the explanation a Bible professor once gave me for why Jesus wasn’t a good model of leadership. The Christian scholar had been describing how, many years before, a subordinate had proposed holding a pastor’s…
Florida pastor arrested and deported by ICE
A Florida congregation is reeling after its pastor was arrested by federal immigration agents and deported to Guatemala. The Tampa Bay Times reported Maurilio Ambrocio, 42, was expelled to his native country July 2 after being detained by Immigration Customs…
How NYC faith-based food banks, shelters are adapting to ICE fear
As United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement has intensified activity across New York City, faith-based shelters, food assistance programs and spaces intended to be safe for immigrants are quietly adjusting how they operate. Though ICE has not yet raided a…
We need to put an end to masked ICE agents
As I observed these groups of masked folks wearing gear, in some cases declaring them as police, I wondered why they were hiding. Could it be they know there is no defense for their dastardly behavior toward thousands of law-abiding…
Even Trump supporters are weary with his ‘disappearing’ immigrants
Americans who originally backed President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign are having a change of heart due to protests, military involvement and the targeting of immigrants without criminal histories, migrant advocates and new polling suggest. “It seems the deportation operations…
What’s in a mask?
The first few years I lived outside Alabama, I received the same question by those learning where I grew up: Did you see members of the Ku Klux Klan walking down the street in Alabama? This question was sometimes asked…
Trump’s actions in LA are popular only with Republicans
Nearly half of Americans are opposed to the deployment of U.S. Marines and National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell protests against President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign. A June 9 CBS News/YouGov poll found 45% of adults surveyed…
How I’m preparing for No Kings Day
In the long-ago time when cell phones were becoming more ubiquitous, we were encouraged to put the letters ICE with the names of our contacts who should be called In Case of Emergency. Everyone knew if someone was in need…
We are in dangerous, uncharted waters
“In every age it has been the tyrant, the oppressor and the exploiter who has wrapped himself in the cloak of patriotism, or religion, or both to deceive and overawe the people.” ― Eugene Victor Debs On Saturday, June…
From votes to violence: Trump’s betrayal of Latino loyalty
What began as a peaceful protest in downtown Los Angeles quickly spiraled into a full-scale federal crackdown — rubber bullets, flash grenades, tear gas and a federally activated National Guard descending not on an enemy nation, but on American citizens….
ICE escalates conflict with Congress over immigration practices
Tensions are rising in New Jersey after Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested outside a federal immigration detention center and three members of Congress were threatened with criminal action after inspecting the facility. The incident occurred May 9 outside Delaney…
On same day, Trump admin arrests judge and backtracks on student visas
Immigration authorities are rescinding a decision to terminate the visas of international students as part of President Donald Trump’s mass-deportation program, a federal official said April 25. That’s the same day federal officials arrested a judge on charges of helping…