immigration
India’s Bnei Menashe community sets sights on immigrating to Israel
By Priyadarshini Sen — August 30, 2018
MANIPUR, India (RNS) — So far in 2018, more than 430 Bnei Menashe have immigrated to Israel, making it one of their largest exoduses from India since 1989.
Questions remain for faith-based agencies as border crisis passes
By Emily McFarlan Miller — August 15, 2018
(RNS) — Providing support to separated families is one way faith-based agencies normally tasked with welcoming refugees got involved in the crisis at the border.
What binds Muslims to the Democratic Party?
By Paul O'Donnell — August 9, 2018
(RNS) — Socially conservative Muslims have a surprising and seemingly easy affiliation with the Democratic Party. Why do Muslims abide these differences when other religious groups cannot?
As activists rally, hymns of protest rise again
By Adelle M. Banks — August 8, 2018
(RNS) — Just like the music of the civil rights movement, old and new songs are often led by people of faith and sometimes refashioned to appeal to people of a range of backgrounds.
Arizona clergy call activists to support migrants on border
By Anita Snow — August 4, 2018
The activists will set out shortly after sunrise Sunday to leave one-gallon (3.79 liters) jugs of water along trails frequented by migrants in the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge near Ajo, Arizona.
Tears, hugs and help: Church groups assist reunited families
By Nomaan Merchant — July 29, 2018
The government is releasing hundreds of families to faith-based groups and leaving the groups to care for them.
How the Mormon church’s past shapes its position on immigration today
By Matthew Bowman — July 26, 2018
(The Conversation) — Each July on Pioneer Day, Utahans revisit the story of the Mormon settlement of the Salt Lake Valley, an event that still has profound implications for how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints thinks about issues from immigration to the Bears Ears National Monument.
‘She is loose’: A historic group of female Lutheran bishops on #MeToo and the Holy Spirit
By Emily McFarlan Miller — July 25, 2018
CHICAGO (RNS) — The ELCA has elected the largest number of female bishops in one year to lead the mainline denomination.
Pope denounces ‘sterile hypocrisy’ of anti-migrant policies
By Nicole Winfield — July 6, 2018
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis celebrated a special Mass for migrants and those who care for them in St. Peter's Basilica, calling attention to their plight as the U.S. and other countries increasingly close their doors, ports and borders to them.
Catholic bishops end border trip by suggesting alternative to family detention
By Jack Jenkins — July 3, 2018
(RNS) — A group of prominent Catholic bishops concluded a two-day fact-finding visit to the U.S.-Mexico border on Monday, capping an emotional trip that included ministering to children who are separated from their parents.
Church ‘detains’ Jesus, Mary, Joseph to protest Trump’s immigration policy
By Faith E. Pinho — July 3, 2018
INDIANAPOLIS (USA Today) — The caged holy family protests President Trump's zero-tolerance policy, which has resulted in holding families arrested near the U.S.-Mexico border in detention centers, said the dean of the cathedral.
Faith-based agencies open doors to kids separated at the border
By Jack Jenkins and Emily McFarlan Miller — June 28, 2018
(RNS) — When Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked about widespread religious pushback to the 'zero-tolerance' policy separating families along the U.S.-Mexico border, she said people of faith 'should open up their doors' to help. Some already had.
Keep kids with parents at border — and remember how we got here
By Tony Perkins — June 28, 2018
(RNS) — If the executive order survives the courts, it will undoubtedly be more compassionate than previous policies, which enticed parents and other adults attempting illegal crossings to subject children to the dangers of the desert, the division of families and even death.
Travel ban decision follows the Supremes’ record of racial classification
By Hussein Rashid — June 27, 2018
(RNS) — The high court’s ruling Tuesday is not surprising. When it comes to welcoming people to America, the court almost never acts for the rights promised in the U.S. Constitution without first denying them.
Faith-based groups turn up the heat on ICE
By Yonat Shimron — June 27, 2018
(RNS) — Religious groups are just the latest to champion the idea of killing the agency. The effort has already gained traction among several congressional candidates plus four sitting members of Congress, all Democrats.
