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…
‘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…
Opus Dei Catholic who led Dallas ICE lawyers now defends immigrants
When Paul Hunker approached Dallas Bishop Edward Burns to introduce himself at the bishop’s 2017 installation Mass, he did so almost “sheepishly.” Hunker, then the lead counsel for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Dallas, worried Burns might give him…
Church with deported member premieres podcast about injustice in U.S. immigration system
A Baptist church in North Carolina is marking the one-year anniversary of a member’s deportation with a podcast series reminding just how inhospitable the United States can be. “Inhospitable,” a limited series podcast telling the story of U.S. immigration enforcement…
Baptists protest deportation of church member outside ICE office where he was detained
“When ICE trapped Gilles in Charlotte, they trapped Jesus. When Gilles was throw into prison and denied his medical care, Christ himself was imprisoned and denied treatment, ” said North Carolina pastor Lauren Efird.
The day life changed for a legal immigrant — and his church
I’ve never felt so helpless as a pastor as I did on Tuesday, Jan. 9, the day Gilles was unexpectedly detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. I couldn’t do anything to stop the horrifying set of events that was about to happen that was going to change Gilles’ life.