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FAITH RESPONSE — Evangelical Christians are urging Congress to act on immigration reform in the wake of U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen’s ruling that DACA is unlawful, Tom Strode reports in the Baptist Press. "This court decision confirms that a fair and just [legislative] solution for our broken immigration system is needed immediately," said Daniel Patterson, acting president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). "... Christians must not waver in pleading the case for these fellow image-bearers." Said the Rev. Gabriel Salguero, president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, "As Hispanic Evangelicals who know firsthand the contributions of [Dreamers] we lament this decision impacting thousands of God’s children and call for immediate bipartisan action." Scott Arbeiter, president of the Christian humanitarian organization World Relief, also is calling for immediate action from Congress, as Michael Gryboski reports for The Christian Post. BUSINESS RESPONSE — "Our [Republican] North Carolina Senators, Thom Tillis and Richard Burr, have a choice to make: whether or not to stand up for the thousands of young people whose lives and futures have been in limbo for far too long," North Carolina business leaders Hugh McColl and Ric Elias write in an op-ed for The Charlotte Observer. "We need these young people for our state and national economies, and to help us rebuild following a historic pandemic and ensure America remains competitive around the globe." Business Roundtable Immigration Chair and Apple CEO Tim Cook weighed in as well: "Dreamers are as American as anyone born in this country, and our laws should reflect that. Once again, we urge Congress to pass bipartisan legislation that creates a pathway to citizenship, and ends the uncertainty and fear our laws have imposed on these young people for far too long."
IN OUR CARE — In an op-ed for The Dallas Morning News, El Paso Bishop Mark J. Seitz and Brownsville Bishop Edward J. Burns urge Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to reconsider his plan to revoke childcare licenses from organizations housing migrant children. Such a decision would lead to a domino effect of harmful consequences, they warn: "Were Catholic Charities to lose their state license, this would strip well over 100 Texas foster children of loving foster families and necessary support, and if our homes closed, it could mean the loss of hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in economic impact in Houston, San Antonio and Dallas." The Texas foster children Catholic Charities serves would be bounced to new places, creating further instability for a vulnerable population, they write. Texas "should continue to follow the example it has set for protecting religious freedom and life by supporting much-needed social services providers like Catholic Charities in their commitment to serve all vulnerable children," they conclude. SERVICE GAPS — A Center for Migration Studies report sheds light on how religious organizations worked to address the unique challenges immigrant communities faced during the pandemic — and how the fear stoked by Trump’s immigration policies made this even more challenging, Melissa Cedillo writes for the National Catholic Reporter. Catholic organizations nationwide began offering a host of new services to assist immigrant communities impacted by the pandemic, Cedillo writes, "but a looming fear of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies prevented immigrants from accessing those services." (The chilling effect of Trump’s public charge rule likely played a significant role here.) Across the country, local organizations have been critical to filling the gaps in public health gaps that immigrant communities faced throughout the pandemic: For The Mendocino Voice, Dana C. Ullman highlights a local Promotores de Salud program, which follows a community health model that is "quite common throughout Latin America but has gained traction in the U.S. during the pandemic." Thanks for reading, Joanna |
