The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is among 165 faith-based organizations that have signed onto a letter opposing actions that they fear will lead to a new asylum ban in the United States to address continued challenges at the Southwest border.
As well traveled and as fully versed in Presbyterian mission as he is, Tom Elander was still surprised by what he witnessed and learned at the U.S.-Mexico border last winter.
Just two blocks north of our home in Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico, is a 40-block-long linear park that straddles the U.S.-Mexico border. My family and I enjoy walking there in the evening and relish the spectacular sunsets that don’t respect borders. In this time of pandemic, we are glad to see families and friends walking dogs and getting exercise along the 14-foot-wide park.
We fear so many things, the Rev. Dr. Cláudio Carvalhaes told worshipers during the recent celebration of 35 years of ministry by Presbyterian Border Region Outreach.
A “narrative of hate and rejection” is spreading across Mexico in response to the caravans of migrants from Central America and elsewhere, a Mexican lawyer and human rights defender told the 150 or so people attending the “Responding to an Exodus: Gospel Hospitality and Empire” celebration of 35 years of work and service by Presbyterian Border Region Outreach. One of the five ministries, Frontera de Cristo, hosted the fall conference.
An international Christian delegation to the Mexico-United States border led by the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) is calling for radical reforms to address not only the causes of migration but the way in which migrants are treated on their journey.