State Immigration Legislative Updates - Week of July 19, 2010
South Carolina ban on renting to and hiring undocumented immigrants put on hold. Summerville, South Carolina town council voted on Wednesday to postpone a final decision on the ban until an attorney looked at the language more closely. Some councilmen fear passing the ban will “disturb the racial harmony that exists amongst various ethnic groups.” Those council members against the ban hope that people will speak up as to the laws' negative effects before they have to vote again.
Voices of Immigration
These accounts are taken from Voices of Immigration, a campaign of Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CCIR) aimed at highlighting the stories of immigrants in our country. Believing that every person is made in the image of God, we seek to restore the human element to the conversation around immigration reform. Download here.
Tags: Immigrant and Faith Community
An Open Letter to Pastors: Our Nation Needs Immigration Reform - Matthew Soerens
Dear Pastors,
This week, a group called NumbersUSA sent out a message to hundreds of thousands of Americans, asking them to please contact their pastor. The email, from the organization’s president, Roy Beck, explained that evangelical, Baptist, and Catholic leaders had testified before Congress this week in support of comprehensive immigration reform. NumbersUSA, whose mission is to “stabilize the United States’s population numbers” by pressuring legislators to “lower immigration levels,” was not pleased with their testimony.
Matthew Soerens
Matthew Soerens is the co-author of Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate (InterVarsity Press, 2009). This and many other resources for church leaders seeking to better understand the immigration issue are online at www.welcomingthestranger.com.
Immigration: When the Abstract Became Personal - Gary Wiley
Rev. Wiley gave this testimony at a press conference in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. on July 1, 2010.
Sanctuary's Daughter: A Follow Up Interview
A little while ago, Mason Funk wrote on our blog about the documentary, Sanctuary’s Daughter. Recently, Leanna Creel, producer and co-director, gave a phone interview to Patheos.com.
Gary Wiley
Rev. Gary Wiley is the Pastor of Justice and Care at Trinity Grace Church in New York City, New York.
