In the US, priest supports whistleblower allegations at ICE facility as Christian leaders weigh in
RNS An Episcopal priest who volunteers at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centre in the US state of Georgia has said allegations of medical neglect and a high rate of hysterectomies at the facility are consistent with her interactions with women detained there. “There were gynecological procedures happening at a rate that seemed higher […]
At a US church forum, presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren says she is open to suspending deportations
Raleigh, North Carolina, USRNS At a campaign event held at a church that is providing sanctuary to an undocumented immigrant, Senator Elizabeth Warren on Friday said she would consider suspending deportations to pressure Congress to come up with a solution to the immigration crisis. Speaking at Umstead Park United Church of Christ, Warren was grilled […]
In the US, immigration officials drop $US300,000 fine for an immigrant in church sanctuary
RNS The message Pastor Isaac Villegas got on his cell phone earlier this week was short and sweet. “Un problema menos,” texted Rosa del Carmen Ortez-Cruz, a mother of four living in sanctuary at a Presbyterian church in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. “One less problem.” Rosa Ortez-Cruz has been in santuary at the Church of […]
Chaldean Christian deported by Trump administration dies in Iraq
RNS A Chaldean Christian immigrant who was deported from Michigan to Iraq has reportedly died because he was unable to obtain insulin to treat his diabetes, drawing fire from critics of the Trump administration who charge that the death is a result of disregard for the well-being of deportees. According to the American Civil Liberties […]
US to expand rapid deportation nationwide with sweeping new rule
Reuters The Trump administration said on Monday it will expand and speed up deportations of migrants who enter the United States illegally by stripping away court oversight, enabling officials to remove people in days rather than months or years. Set to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, the rule will apply “expedited removal” […]
Arrests of immigrant families promised by Trump to begin on Sunday, Times says
New York/Washington, DCReuters US authorities on Sunday will begin arresting at least 2,000 immigrant families eligible for deportation in a nationwide series of raids long threatened by President Donald Trump, the New York Times reported, citing former and current officials. Trump forewarned of the planned operation in a 17th June Twitter message, but it was […]
Pastor surveilled after ministering to migrants sues US Government
RNS A prominent Manhattan pastor has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that US officials violated her religious freedom when she was put on a watchlist over her ministry to migrants at the border. Rev Kaji Douša, senior pastor of Park Avenue Christian Church and longtime advocate for immigrants’ rights, was the only clergy member listed […]
US sanctuary churches say fines against immigrants meant to sow fear
RNS About a dozen people taking refuge in sanctuary churches across the US received a letter from Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this week, informing them they owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in civil penalties for disobeying orders to leave the country. Among those was Rosa del Carmen Ortez Cruz, a 38-year-old mother of […]
In the US, Lutherans gather in prayer for student pastor reportedly arrested by ICE
Chicago, USRNS Lutherans are speaking out and gathering in prayer after a student pastor at a church in Racine, Wisconsin, reportedly was arrested last week by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Betty Rendón, who came to the United States from Colombia, was reportedly arrested by ICE on 8th May after her application for asylum was […]
ESSAY: ICE’S WAR ON CHRISTMAS
US Baptist minister and author JONATHAN WILSON-HARTGROVE, in an article first published on Religion News Service, writes about the impact of the Trump Administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy…