I live in the suburbs. A lot of folks in the suburbs of Chicago—and probably in many other suburban areas around the United States—tend to think of immigration as an urban phenomenon. Churches often think of immigration as an “urban ministry” issue. In reality, though, immigrants are just about everywhere in the U.S., including, […]Continue Reading →
Guest Blog by: Melissa Manske I am twenty-nine years old. I learned Spanish from traveling to Peru and Guatemala and living in a NJ city that is about a third Latino. I have friends from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic (happily citizens), and undocumented friends from El Salvador, Honduras, Ecuador and Mexico. If […]Continue Reading →
Guest Blog by: Sarah Quezada **Republished with permission from the author. The original blog post can be found on here on her website** Last week I sat in the hospital waiting room while my sister anticipated the arrival of my dear nephew. While I’m sure two days of labor were difficult for her, […]Continue Reading →
January has been designated by the President as Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Last Wednesday, on National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, my Twitter feed was filled with folks raising awareness about the reality of human trafficking. They were challenging the Church, in particular, to respond both with prayer and action to abolish this […]Continue Reading →
Guest Blog by: Elizabeth Murray The United States is a country made up of immigrants — yet there is widespread stigma against those illegally entering the United States. Many people claim they do not pay taxes, use social services, and take jobs away from deserving American citizens. These claims are generally untrue, and no […]Continue Reading →
Immigration policy took a step in a positive direction when it comes to supporting family reunification. Though far from a panacea, the family unity waiver would allow for petition within the U.S. rather than outside, which often caused a ban of re-entry to keep petitioning members from being with their family […]Continue Reading →
Last Friday, the Department of Homeland Security proposed changes to the way that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service will consider certain family reunification cases. Though the complexity of the law—and what these proposed changes would do—makes it a bit confusing to understand, this proposed change is an answer to many, […]Continue Reading →
Guest Blog by: Joel Perez Last week began with the following email I received from a student at a Christian college (not George Fox University, where I work): “A mentor of mine forwarded me an article that you wrote regarding undocumented students and colleges. This is a more personal question. I’m 26 […]Continue Reading →
Guest Blog by: Donald Balla Rule of Law refers to the Christian value that calls for obeying the laws of the land. I’m a Rule of Law fan. Still, as Lemuel Washburn wrote, “It is necessary to distinguish between the virtue and the vice of obedience.” We apply Rule of Law to immigrants […]Continue Reading →
Last year, as I pondered a New Year’s resolution, I came to terms with the reality that my penchant for sugar was slowly and unhealthily increasing my weight and likely putting me at risk for diabetes. I resolved to limit my intake of sweet things—cookies, ice cream, cakes, pies, candy, soda, juices—to one per […]Continue Reading →
