The elderly white man sat across the restaurant booth from his wife. They were discussing the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to rescind elements of Arizona’s controversial SB 1070 law. “So you see,” he told her, “I think it’s a terrible shame that Obama’s getting rid of this Arizona law. Why won’t they let the police just do […]Continue Reading →
I’ve been reading through Deuteronomy lately, and this passage stuck out at me. Moses is at the end of his life: after forty years of wandering in the desert, the Israelites are about to take possession of the land that God has promised to them. Moses knows he will not be going with them, […]Continue Reading →
As an undocumented youth who qualifies for the DREAM Act, I am constantly barraged by pro-immigration nonprofits and legislators with messages like these:
“They were only brought here as children, and it’s their parents who are to blame!” “These kids are American as apple pie! Deport their parents instead!” And for the longest […]Continue Reading →
Many of the moms in my community feel like there is not much they can contribute in this foreign land that they now call home. As undocumented immigrants, they are ineligible to get a driver’s license or a job. As Spanish speakers with limited English and in many cases only an elementary level of […]Continue Reading →
In the book of Joshua, we read about how, after forty years of wandering in the desert, God brought his people into the Promised Land. God stopped the flow of the water so that the children of Israel could cross over the Jordan River on dry ground. When they arrived on the other side, […]Continue Reading →
When I opened the non-descript, government envelope containing my husband Billy’s green card, I felt a deep mixture of exhausted relief and wild celebration. No more hyper worrying about getting pulled over. No more awkward conversations with acquaintances who ask too many questions. No more silent but ever-present thoughts of “What if he gets deported? […]Continue Reading →
Learning about immigration and our rich theology to love the immigrant is a great starting point but certainly not the end. Kingdom servants do not stop at awareness but recognize the need to move beyond awareness to engagement. Engagement in its early stages can look quite varied as you begin to enter into the […]Continue Reading →
Tomorrow (Tuesday, June 12), I’ll be in Washington, D.C. along with a group of prominent evangelical leaders that will be launching the Evangelical Statement of Principles for Immigration Reform. In addition to the folks actually at the press conference, there are more than 130 other leaders from across the country who have signed onto […]Continue Reading →
Let’s be honest, fear fuels much of the political activism in this country, on both sides. Sometimes it’s advocacy groups with their latest fundraising letter or email sharing how the other side is “this close” to destroying the America we know. Sometimes it’s cable news shows with their smartly designed graphics, ominous music, and […]Continue Reading →
Congress created the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 1994 in order to protect survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, and stalking. VAWA was reauthorized twice, each time with bipartisan support. The bill was then reintroduced in April 2012 by the United States Senate to include protections for immigrants, Native Americans, and […]Continue Reading →
