The state of Florida has closed its “Alligator Alcatraz” immigrant detention center roughly a year after it opened with more than $1 billion in taxpayer funds. The Everglades facility erected on a former airstrip became notorious for its harsh mistreatment…
The promise she kept; the promise we must keep
For years, I assumed she had gone to school. There was nothing about her that suggested otherwise. She was thoughtful, articulate and curious. English was her native language, and our conversations always were engaging. She asked perceptive questions, listened carefully…
Demands mount as Trump’s ICE agents kill two more people
The second fatal shooting in less than a week involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents has renewed calls for investigations, protests and demands that immigration officers stop terrorizing American communities. The latest deadly ICE action occurred around 7:30 a.m. July…
It’s time for churches to directly defy unjust immigration policies
During the lead-up to the Civil War, the Underground Railroad was formed. Many former enslaved individuals, abolitionists and faith communities helped people escape the South to freedom, often in Canada. Of course, this happened against the law created by the…
Amid flurry of rulings, habeas corpus spells trouble for Trump immigration policies
Legal challenges to the Trump administration’s immigrant deportation practices are providing new — and sometimes competing — court rulings every week. On June 23, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Green Card holders can be denied reentry into the United…
Supreme Court’s support for birthright citizenship draws partisan reactions
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of birthright citizenship in a June 30 ruling striking down President Donald Trump’s executive order that sought to end the historic right. The 6-3 decision affirms the long-held understanding of the 14th Amendment,…
High court says feds can deny reentry to Green Card holders
Green Card holders can be denied reentry into the United States even if border officers have no solid proof they have committed a crime, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 23. The 6-3 ruling in Blanche v. Lau held that…
High court allows Trump to deport Haitians and Syrians
The Trump administration can now end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Syrians who fled to the United States to escape natural disaster and persecution in their home countries, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 25. The 6-3 decision along…
Except for white evangelicals, Americans have soured on Trump’s leadership
Nearly 70% of Americans agree that core democratic freedoms are in danger of being lost while 59% consider President Donald Trump to be a “dangerous dictator” whose powers should be limited, according to a new survey by Public Religion Research…
Why are we still calling ourselves ‘moderate’ Baptists?
A few weeks ago, I sat with a Baptist leader who described himself as a “moderate Baptist.” He meant it as a compliment, and most people in our circles would receive it that way. After all, “moderate” is one of…
‘They have already suffered enough’: Central African clergy respond to US deportation
Religious leaders in the Central African Republic say they were stunned by the arrival Friday (June 12) of migrants deported from the United States to their country without cultural or familial ties, questioning why people who fled religious and political…
Trump admin defying court order on immigration access
The Trump administration continues to deny legal benefits to some immigrants based on national origin and in direct violation of a federal judge’s June 5 ruling to halt the practice. In response, an emergency motion was filed June 10 asking…