More about Shattering Families

From Colorlines, the national magazine on race and politics: "As parents are detained and deported, an increasing number of kids are stuck in the foster care system, with little hope of reuniting with their mothers and fathers. It's an injustice that hurts everyone."



See Juan Martinez on this topic here.

We append the following disclaimer on all posts: “Please note that the views expressed by guest bloggers represent their own personal views, and not necessarily those of everyone associated with Loving the Stranger or any institutions with which the blogger may be affiliated.”

Love is a Thread

In the garment of justice, your love is an irreplaceable thread. The Justice Conference is February 24+25 in Portland, Oregon. 

Love Is A Thread from The Justice Conference on Vimeo.
 




The Justice Conference. February 24+25, 2012. Portland, Oregon. Follow them on Twitter: thejusticeconf

We append the following disclaimer on all posts: “Please note that the views expressed by guest bloggers represent their own personal views, and not necessarily those of everyone associated with Loving the Stranger or any institutions with which the blogger may be affiliated.”

Profits, Slavery and the Law

 A woman came to our job program office and said she risked everything to be there that day. She was not allowed to leave her job in a sewing factory south of downtown. She was given a place to sleep inside the factory. She worked when she was awake.

An ICE officer tells a group of students on a tour of downtown that the neighborhood they are in is notorious because of the immigrants who are forced to work to pay for the services provided to get them to this country when they were brought here with the offer of a job. Law enforcement has few or no tools to change what is going on.

A teen in a church youth group tells one of the leaders that he was offered a job in the United States by another youth in his Costa Rican hometown if he would just go with him north--a trip that included riding on top of trains and being smuggled across multiple international borders. When he arrived in the United States he was given a package of drugs to sell. If you refused, the penalty would be death.

Slavery in the US exists and is fueled by a lack of reasonable laws to protect the vulnerable. What intellectual capital do you bring to help the situation?


Solutions to this will come with reasonable laws and structures that will make slavery less profitable and value people regardless of their origin. What can you do to stand up for the most vulnerable?

HT to Jubilee a nonprofit band for posting the video.

We append the following disclaimer on all posts: “Please note that the views expressed by guest bloggers represent their own personal views, and not necessarily those of everyone associated with Loving the Stranger or any institutions with which the blogger may be affiliated.”

The Border Between Them

Some of the complexity of the current immigration system is captured in this story, The Border Between Them, from KCET.




Just over 9 minutes into the video, US Representative Dana Rohrbacher claims it is all simple, the family should go back to Mexico and wait in line like the good Mexican immigrants. This view is actually held by a few people, and this position gets Rohrbacher re-elected to congress. That is unfortunate for the children portrayed in this piece.

There are other people who believe, and I believe that the majority of people who care to understand the situation, that the immigration system needs to be overhauled so that it is compassionate, comprehensive, and fair. What do you think?

Thanks for visiting this blog. You belong here. Your thoughts are welcome. Please feel free to leave a comment.

The Justice Conference, Immigration with Matthew Soerens and Jenny Hwang Yang

Lynne Hybels with Jenny Hwang Yang and Matthew Soerens from The Justice Conference on Vimeo.
Author and advocate Lynne Hybels interviews Jenny Hwang Yang and Matthew Soerens, authors of Welcoming the Stranger, on the topic of immigration