The last weekend of August NT-NL Synod, ELCA leaders and myself traveled along with almost 100 ecumenical leaders to the Texas/Mexico border. There we engaged in learning led by Texas Impact, our partner in advocacy and witness. We then traveled from Brownsville to Matamoros to meet with asylum seekers and hear their stories. Many of them asked us for prayers of blessing over them. These individuals have largely fled their country due to violence and persecution. They are seeking legal entry and deserve due process.
Instead they are confronted by US Refugee admission rates that are dramatically reduced from previous Republican and Democratic administrations. They find the court system backlogged and rather than being allowed to stay in the US while their claim is processed (the previous status quo) they are returned to Mexico which has no capacity to house them and they are victimized again by the cartels. In this crisis they are rightly frustrated and on October 10th they protested, closing the bridge in an attempt to get our attention to demand action and recognize their rights to have their claims processed properly.
Please learn more about these issues from Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and ELCA Advocacy. Our falling rate of refugee admissions is unwarrented and unnecessary. These individuals have human rights that must be respected. As Lutheran Christians we are called to speak for our neighbor. I encourage you to do so and communicate your concerns to your law makers. Texas Impact has provided us resources for doing so which can be found here. #NTNL #InMissionTogether