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Paola Fuentes Gleghorn During his recent visit to the U.S.-Mexico border, President Joe Biden announced changes to border enforcement and the asylum process — the legal process that allows people fleeing danger to seek safety in the U.S. One of the most concerning changes was an expansion of Title 42, a public health policy invoked by former President Donald Trump that weaponized the pandemic to turn away many Black and brown migrants looking for asylum. It isn’t supposed to be this way: When people arrive at the border asking for help from violence or persecution, both international and U.S. law grant them a right to seek protection by requesting asylum. However, under Title 42, many people — including children and families — are sent directly back into the dangerous environments they were fleeing before they can even request asylum. This announcement from the Biden administration should prompt us all to take a hard look at the laws that make up U.S. immigration policy. Ask yourself: Who do these laws protect and who do we see as worthy of receiving protection? Who benefits from the laws we create? Who do those laws apply to? Jesus tells us in John 10 that he came that we may “have life, and have it abundantly,” yet when I look at the U.S. immigration system, I see racist and xenophobic laws that claim the only people found “worthy” of protection and opportunity are those who have enough resources or are from the right places. This completely contradicts what God has told us about every person having equal value as part of the body of Christ. “Just as a body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ,” writes Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:12, insisting a few verses later that “If one member suffers, all suffer with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it” (v. 25-26).
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Our Latest The Epiphany of Our Refugee Savior (by Carissa Zaffiro) When I heard of new enforcement policies at the U.S.-Mexico border, I thought of how Jesus’ family had to flee to Egypt. Faith Leaders Pray for Democracy and Healing on Jan. 6 Anniversary (by Kaila Nichols) “Help us find the courage to reject the unholy and harmful ideologies of white supremacy and Christian nationalism, and to not be silent about the crisis of our democracy,” Mary Novak prayed. We Still Need Moral Accountability for Jan. 6 (by Adam Russell Taylor) To counter the deadly extremism and Christian nationalism we saw Jan. 6, we must do more than condemn it. Vincent Lloyd’s Dictionary of Black Dignity (by Matthew Vega) In his new book, Vincent W. Lloyd provides vocabulary for the struggle against the world’s systems of domination. |
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From the Magazine Protecting the Prophetic Work of the Press (by Ritchie T. Salgado) A Carmelite priest reflects on the threat to journalists — and press freedom — in the Philippines. |
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