Texas judge temporarily blocks attempt to shut down Annunciation House
United States RNS A state judge has temporarily blocked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to investigate and close Annunciation House, a volunteer-run network of Catholic migrant shelters based in El Paso. Paxton attempted to “run roughshod over Annunciation House, without regard to due process or fair play,” wrote state District Judge Francisco Dominguez in […]
New frontline of US border policy? A Texas pecan farm
Eagle Pass, Texas, US Reuters The leafy trees on Magali and Hugo Urbina’s 141 hectare orchard next to the Rio Grande river in Eagle Pass, Texas, should be bursting with pecans this time of year. Instead, most are barren. The Heavenly Farms pecan orchard is seen in the background as dust rises over migrants wading […]
New York to distribute flyers telling migrants at US-Mexico border to ‘consider another city’
Washington DC, USReuters New York City will distribute flyers at the US-Mexico border telling newly arrived migrants to “consider another city” and limit shelter stays for adult asylum seekers to 60 days as the city’s Democratic mayor says it is straining to house them. In an announcement on Wednesday, the office of Mayor Eric Adams […]
US seeks to shore up border as migrants gather ahead of end to Title 42
San Diego, US Reuters The Biden administration and Texas state government are sending reinforcements to the US-Mexico border to prepare for a possible increase in illegal immigration when COVID-19 restrictions known as Title 42 are set to end on Thursday. Hundreds of specialised investigative agents and air marshals from the US Department of Homeland Security […]
Essay: Replacing vengeance with mercy in our death penalty policy
KAREN SWALLOW PRIOR, in an article first published on Religion News Service, says the troubling case of Andre Thomas in the US invites a closer look at all the factors that play a part in the death penalty…
Religious liberty concerns raised as Texas Governor seeks to investigate groups helping migrants
United StatesRNS Texas Governor Greg Abbott has asked the state attorney to investigate non-governmental organisations that he claims have assisted with “illegal border crossings” along the US-Mexico border near El Paso, raising religious liberty concerns among faith-based groups and religious organisers helping migrants with medical needs and shelter. Abbott, in his 14th December letter to Attorney […]
Cruel or harmless? US pastors mixed on Republican migrant transports
United StatesAP As Republican governors ramp up their high-profile transports of migrants to Democratic-run jurisdictions, the practice is getting a mixed reaction from Christian faith leaders – many of whom, especially evangelicals, have supported GOP candidates by large numbers in recent elections. Some depict the actions as inhumanely exploiting vulnerable people for political ends, while others say […]
Texas Governor sends migrants to New York City as immigration standoff accelerates
New York, USReuters Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, said on Friday he has started to send buses carrying migrants to New York City in an effort to push responsibility for border crossers to Democratic mayors and US President Joe Biden, a Democrat. The first bus arrived early on Friday at the city’s Port Authority […]
Updated: “Stacks of bodies” – 46 dead migrants found in truck in Texas
Updated: 5pm (AEST)Reuters The bodies of 46 dead migrants were discovered inside a tractor-trailer on Monday in San Antonio, Texas, city officials said, in one of the most deadly recent incidents of human smuggling along the US-Mexico border. A San Antonio Fire Department official said they found “stacks of bodies” and no signs of water […]
Breaking: At least 19 students killed in Texas school shooting
Updated: 9am, 26th May, 2022 (AEST)United States At least 19 students and a teacher have been killed at an elementary school in Texas. The shooting occurred at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, about 135 kilometres west of San Antonio. The shooter, identified as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos from Uvalde, is believed to have been killed by […]