Immigration

In our world today there are over 80 million people who have been forcibly displaced from their homes, including 26.4 million refugees. In my last post I mentioned that less than 1% of refugees are resettled through a formal refugee resettlement program in one of 37 formal resettlement countries yearly, but in 2020 that number dipped down to the lowest in recorded history.

As we close out the OSJ’s “What’s the Deal With Immigration?” series - in which we first discovered where we were and where we are now with immigration policy in the US - we will answer the question, where are we headed? 

In the first article of the OSJ’s “What’s the Deal With Immigration?” series, we took a look at where we were with immigration policy in the US, discovering the ways in which our immigration system has become outdated. This piece seeks to answer where we are now, highlighting how our immigration system has become increasingly harmful in recent decades.

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." - Deuteronomy 6:4-5

In the OSJ’s “What’s the Deal With Immigration?” series, we are taking a look at where we were, where we are, and where we’re headed with US immigration policy. This first article seeks to answer where we were, highlighting some of the ways in which our immigration system has become outdated.

"I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice."  - Proverbs 8:20

“Sí es cierto lo que dices Melissa… yes, it’s certain what you say,” he says to me in a WhatsApp voice message, “The LGBTQ community is even more vulnerable [than other migrants].”

Pastor Samuel sighs with a weariness in his voice, messaging me from his home in Ciudad Juarez after a long day out in his truck bringing food and blankets to asylum-seekers.

Lord, You are the source of all rightful authority. All things hold together in you.  Forgive us for the ways that, when it comes to politics, we have worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator. - A Prayer Responding to the Events at the U.S. Capitol

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105

I was recently invited as a guest speaker for a webinar with ecumenical partners, to share some information on global forced displacement and migration.