SojoMail - Will Christians defy unjust immigration orders?

View this email in your browser This week: Defying immigration orders in solidarity, Rev. Mariann Budde’s plea to Trump for mercy, and remembering David Lynch. What Will We Risk To Defy Unjust Immigration Orders? In this week’s SojoMail, Russell Jeung writes that Chinese Christians in the late 19th century joined other migrants to defy government orders, even at threat of deportation. He asks: Will we have the same courage now? Before President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, NBC News reported that the incoming administration was considering targeting “Chinese men who are deemed to be of military age living illegally in the United States” in its mass-deportation efforts. This followed remarks from last April building on decades of racist “Yellow Peril” tropes in which Trump claimed: “They’re coming from China over the last few months … are they trying to build a little army in our country?” This week, after Trump assumed office, he signed executive orders declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and issuing a broad ban on asylum. Large raids are expected in major cities across the country, including Chicago, Denver, and Minneapolis; and millions fear deportation and separation from loved ones. In this anxious moment, I find it helpful to remember a similar era from the late 19th century, a time when Chinese migrants, under threat of mass deportation, collectively resisted with one of the greatest instances of civil disobedience in U.S. history. Read the full article Advertisement Our Latest Stories WATCH: Bishop ‘Pleads’ for Trump to Be Merciful to Immigrants, LGBTQ+ People (by Betsy Shirley) With Trump and Vance in the front row, Rev. Mariann Budde preached a pointed sermon. Read more Director David Lynch’s Fascination with Sin and Redemption (by Abby Olcese) The recently deceased director of ‘Blue Velvet’ and ‘Twin Peaks’ placed beauty alongside the grotesque. Read more Christian Nationalists Don’t Want Us To Remember the Real MLK (by Josiah R. Daniels) The same Christian ideology that inspired J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI to surveil MLK is alive and well in the Trump administration. Read more From the Magazine: Refusing to Be Lost in Trauma (by Abby Olcese) In ‘Nickel Boys,’ filmmaker RaMell Ross acknowledges injustice, abuse, and repeated heartbreak, but never dwells on it. Read more Advertisements Seminary English Instructor, Cairo, Egypt  MCC is seeking a Seminary English Instructor for the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo (ETSC), and this person will be an advisor and mentor to students as well. A secondary role is to use the connections of teaching to build relationships with current and future evangelical pastors as part of deepening MCC’s understanding of the church in Egypt. Respect Freedom of the Press A watchdog report shows the Justice Department bypassed its protocols to seize reporters’ phone records during the Trump era. This action threatens the very foundation of our democracy: freedom of the press. Tell the DOJ to respect press freedom and uphold the principles that safeguard our society. Donate Subscribe Unsubscribe or update email preferences Copyright © 2025 Sojourners. All rights reserved. Sojourners | 408 C St. NE | Washington, DC 20002 Email: sojourners@sojo.net | Tel.: 202.328.8842