The terms “sanctuary” and “sanctuary movement” are bandied about with reverence and respect….. or disgust and fury. As I write, Austin is experiencing ferocious retaliation from the Texas Governor, Texas Legislature, and ICE, for supposedly being a “sanctuary city.” But what does that even mean? Victoria Rossi has written a beautiful, clear, and helpful analysis […]
On a Sunday in the spring, Mariana was at home with her son Jorge, then eleven months old, who was sleeping. She was not expecting anyone, so when she heard people outside her house, Mariana called the police. No answer. Three men, wearing masks, broke into her home. One grabbed Mariana and threw her on […]
Until today, I was mostly getting phone calls from women in Karnes and from family members around the country; texts from family members in Honduras. Today at 12:30, I received this e-mail: Estamos detenidas en Karnes tenemos tres hijos cada una y tenemos tres meses de estar detenidas, teniamos abogados pero nos dejaron el caso […]
Read the the material that ICE lawyers present in immigration court to support its argument that the refugees — specifically the women and children — fleeing El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras since June pose a “national security threat” to the United States. Read it and weep. ICE Bond Packet
First they came for the “welfare queens” and I did not speak up, because I am not a “welfare queen” Then they came for the “habitual offenders” and I did not speak up, because I am not a “habitual offender” Then they came for the “sexual predators” and I did not speak up, because I […]
Have an opinion on how the U.S. should respond to the thousands of children, primarily Central American, who seek refuge in the United States? Tell the President and Congress. Please consider these three straightforward, sensible, and sane proposals in *this petition * authored by Jennifer Harbury. President Barack Obama and Felicia Escobar, Policy Director for […]
In times of crisis and despair, we witness both the best and worst of people. People read and hear about the thousands of Central American children desperate enough to make a treacherous journey to the U.S. and ask, “How can I help?” If you are able to volunteer or donate funds, you may want to […]
1. DEMAND TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS, or TPS for Hondurans, Guatemalans, Mexicans (at least the most violent Mexican border- states), and Salvadorans. This is a clean, simple, and tested solution. Although imperfect, it will serve as a “cease fire” while better solutions are worked through. It will also respond to the current demands to just send […]
I can’t sleep tonight, thinking about Antoinette Tuff. What do I learn from her? Certainly not how to “handle” or “deal with” or “manage” or, much less, “confront” a distraught man with guns and ammunition ready to kill a lot of people including himself. In the first place, I don’t expect to ever be in […]
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote in 1962 that many people favor the idea of justice in the abstract, but praise of the ideal is not nearly enough. “That justice is a good thing, a fine goal, even a supreme ideal, is commonly accepted. What is lacking is a sense of the monstrosity of injustice…Justice..is not […]