Canada and the U.S. have effectively decided to crack down on migrants crossing unofficial border points into Canada. Here’s why this approach misses the bigger picture.
The religious right may have dominated US politics for decades, but progressive Christians are growing louder in their faith-based opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
Mario Garcia, University of California, Santa Barbara
The number of migrants living in churches has spiked recently in anticipation of threatened immigration raids, but churches have long protected refugees in an act of faith-based civil disobedience.
Scripture strongly and unequivocally affirms the obligation to treat strangers with dignity and hospitality, says a Christian scholar who turns to the Bible for guidance on Trump’s immigration policy.
Catholic Church records document the earliest black history in the US, going back to the 1590s. These records tell the histories of Africans, free and enslaved, who were part of Spanish expeditions.
Alternative models to host asylum seekers have proved their efficiency. Venice has been a sanctuary city for years and with the right policies, it could be reproduced.
Students and faculty are demanding universities declare themselves sanctuary campuses. Historically, sanctuary offered both legal and moral protection for the vulnerable.
In offering to open church buildings across Australia as places of sanctuary for asylum seekers, church leaders are appealing to an ancient notion of how we should treat people in need of protection.