Heather Ruark is an American citizen who married a undocumented immigrant. Her story is typical of many families who are deeply impacted by immigration issues. I can still recall the moment I thought I was going to be able to separate my love life from immigration issues. Horacio and I had just started dating, thanks […]Continue Reading →
Cooperation. Common sense. Courage. These are not words that most would associate with the political processes which take place in nation’s capital. Yet yesterday afternoon, the Senate displayed these traits – and several other commendable ones – when Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike when they overwhelmingly voted to pass S.744, the historic comprehensive immigration reform […]Continue Reading →
I keep asking myself, “Where are all the immigrants?” in all these conversations about immigration reform. Well, there is Marco Rubio, who in my opinion has has not been an unequivocal champion for the Latino people or immigration reform. This summer, I have been interning on Capitol Hill at a faith based organization. After a […]Continue Reading →
It’s important to acknowledge and understand the experiences of others. Acknowledgment/awareness of other people and of their experiences drives understanding. Understanding drives compassion, and compassion – literally, the act of suffering with – ultimately leads to action. My friend Alexia Salvatierra often references the example of Jesus in Mark 6:34: “When Jesus landed and […]Continue Reading →
Quick: what’s the first word that you think of when you hear the word “stranger.” According to wordassociation.org, one of the most common associations is “danger.” I grew up watching public service announcements on children’s television that helped engrain that connotation into my mind. Strangers were people to be afraid of, to avoid, […]Continue Reading →
On a warm summer evening in Wisconsin, our predominately white middle class suburban evangelical young adult group held our weekly gathering in a public park of an urban neighborhood with a large Latino population. On that night we focused on beginning a conversation with our nation’s immigrant community. In a step toward healing the broken […]Continue Reading →
A True Life Story
I know what it’s like to want to do the right thing, but you can’t. When you’re hanging onto faith like a life jacket and it’s a battle to not sink into depression and hopelessness. It’s easy for people who are not affected by this tough Immigration issue to judge […]Continue Reading →
A couple weeks ago, there was a letter in our mailbox addressed to “Resident.” I nearly tossed it into the garbage: usually important mail comes from people who know my name. I opened the letter, though, and did my best to decipher the legalese language as I climbed the stairs to my apartment. One […]Continue Reading →
My brilliant, beautiful and currently extremely pregnant wife, Diana, is a high school Spanish teacher. Recently, she showed some of her students a film about Spanish-speaking immigrants in the United States. To get her students thinking, she asked me to design a twenty-question true-false quiz that her students could take as a conversation starter. […]Continue Reading →
Last week, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee passed a broad immigration reform bill in a strongly bipartisan 13-5 vote. As the bill moves to the full Senate, where it seems likely to have the votes necessary to pass, a bipartisan group in the House of Representatives is reportedly negotiating their own immigration reform […]Continue Reading →
