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‘THE LORD’S WORK’ — The New York Times’ Natalie Kitroeff tells the story of two brothers in Matamoros, Mexico — one who kicked out 200 migrants from his church, and the other who stepped in to support them. Local pastor Víctor Barrientos had invited dozens of asylum seekers to stay in his church, Kitroeff writes. But by June, he lost his patience: "I’m not receiving any help from the state or [Mexican] federal government," Barrientos said. "This is just a church, not a place to shelter people." Now, many of the migrants are packed in his brother Joel’s one-bedroom apartment, where his family has created an extra bedroom and placed tents on their roof. "We love the Lord’s work," Joel said. RESETTLEMENT CHALLENGES — Resettling Afghan refugees for the next few months is going to be a challenge for a number of reasons, said Matt Soerens, U.S. Director of Church Mobilization & Advocacy for World Relief, in an interview with Kent Annan for Christianity Today. "World Relief is anticipating resettling roughly as many individuals in the next three months as we have in the past three years … [but] new funds ... don’t turn into fully trained staff (caseworkers, volunteer coordinators, mental health counselors and all the other roles we need to fill) overnight." Here is today’s selection of local, national and global stories of support:
DETENTION CENTERS — A federal appeals court on Tuesday blocked a California law banning privately run immigration detention centers, report Maura Dolan and Andrea Castillo of The Los Angeles Times. "California is not simply exercising its traditional police powers," wrote 9th Circuit Judge Kenneth K. Lee, a Trump appointee, "but rather impeding federal immigration policy." Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) first signed the measure into law in 2019, and it previously "had been largely upheld by a district court judge," they note. California Attorney General Rob Bonta "indicated in a statement that the state was likely to appeal." FOR IMMIGRANT FATHERS — For Hispanic Heritage month, writer Rosa Gómez penned a beautiful letter of gratitude for immigrant fathers, published in University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s The Spectator. She recalls childhood memories of her own father, a Honduran immigrant, "coming to read in his broken English to my fourth-grade class about Celia Cruz, volunteering during lunch and watching me in the school choir." Her father’s immigration story, "similar to so many other young people who risk their lives for a chance in ‘el norte,’ is one that deserves to be remembered and honored," she writes. "His story is what makes my family what it is. It is why we are strong, hard-working and a beautiful representation of the heritage that we proudly carry." Thanks for reading, Ali |
