Donald Trump has been known for consistently creating anti-immigrant policies, especially for asylum-seekers and undocumented immigrants. The news that emerged earlier this month is especially chilling.
Trump plans to remove the policy created under President Barack Obama that prevented Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from carrying out raids in sensitive locations, such as schools, hospitals and houses of worship.
All these locations should be free from immigration enforcement. Children should not be fearful of going to school, and patients should certainly not be afraid of getting treatment.
However, the area that I am especially interested in as an immigration advocate and a member of a Christian nonprofit is the idea that immigration officials could enter houses of worship.
Specifically in the Christian tradition, there is a long history of providing refuge for those who are endangered. This was practiced in the Underground Railroad, by churches in Europe under Nazi Germany and more recently with the sanctuary movement in the 1980s. In this movement, Protestant, Catholic and Jewish congregations resisted the Reagan administration’s restrictions on asylum-seekers from El Salvador and gave them shelter in their congregations.
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Although Trump likes to appeal to religious crowds, these types of actions put religious practices under threat. Part of the reason there is a separation between church and state in our country is to prevent religious institutions from having too much power in the government.
It also prevents the government from interfering with religious practices. Trump’s proposal blurs those lines significantly. What kind of effect would this have on congregations with large immigrant populations? Would it make people afraid to attend worship services?
Few would object if there was a legitimately violent and dangerous criminal inside a place of worship, but we know many people targeted in these deportation efforts will be innocent migrants and asylum-seekers who may be deported to countries where they could face immense threats and insecurity.
It is time for people of faith, regardless of partisan leaning, to state unequivocally that this type of action is unjust and in many ways an attack on people of faith.
Will McCorkle, education professor, College of Charleston; board member, Practice Mercy
Elected leaders, work hard to make it easier for workers
The Sun-Times reported that both Amazon and Starbucks workers are striking in metro areas across the country, including Chicago. These strikes are just another symptom of the economic woes so many people are facing all year long, not just at Christmas. Wages are simply not matching up with expenses, forcing workers into poverty.
When U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and and Tammy Duckworth and Illinois representatives come back into session after the holidays with their families, they need to take action to bring us the economic justice these striking workers deserve.
The new year will bring a new chance to strengthen the Child Tax Credit in our tax code and SNAP nutrition benefits in a new farm bill. They should use every policy tool available to bring relief to Americans in need.
Cynthia Changyit Levin, Town and Country, Missouri