The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) was represented at a vigil and action in front of the White House Wednesday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the United Nations Refugee Convention of 1951 and call on President Joe Biden to do more to reform the United States’ immigration and refugee policies.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness is asking people to contact their senators on behalf of millions of people living in the United States without immigration status.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is expressing deep concern and calling for action by Congress and the Biden Administration after whistleblower reports of inhumane conditions at an intake and processing center for unaccompanied migrant children in Fort Bliss, Texas.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness joined 16 other faith, humanitarian, and civil society organizations in signing a letter to Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of her trip to Mexico and Guatemala Sunday and Monday to address the issues that lead tens of thousands of Central Americans to come to the United States.
Lisa Haugaard started her comments on Tuesday afternoon’s premiere episode of “Welcoming the Stranger” with some plain talk about Central American migration to the United States.
Balloons swayed in the air, children kicked their swings toward the sky, and laughter floated beyond the fence as congregants and friends of Second Presbyterian Church gathered on the church’s playground after one of its first in-person worship services in months.
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.
During a webinar Wednesday evening, advocates for people seeking a better life in the United States expressed both optimism and uncertainty about the Biden-Harris administration’s ability to improve things at the U.S. southern border.
Six years ago, Hilda Ramírez arrived in the United States with her seven-year-old son, Ivan, after fleeing Guatemala. She spent a year in a Texas detention center, where she led women on a hunger strike. Four years ago, she and her son were offered Sanctuary at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin, where they remain even as they face deportation and fines in the tens of thousands of dollars.
A virtual ‘trip’ to Guatemala with World Mission’s long-time partner, the Protestant Center for Pastoral Studies in Central America (CEDEPCA), may help you break free from pandemic isolation — at least in your mind and heart.