Check Out These Resources for Greater Understanding
of the Immigration Challenge
We are a nation of immigrants, from the 17th century to the present. The othering taunt - “Go back where you came from” - has been applied to waves of Southern Europeans, Chinese, Irish Catholics, Muslims, and Hispanics. Yet these peoples are Emma Lazarus’ “huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” invoked on the Statue of Liberty as those whom we are exhorted to welcome. Despite, or perhaps because of, this shameful history, finding a just, comprehensive, and effective immigration policy has been a challenge for generations.
We can approach current immigration as a threat or as an opportunity, seeing immigrants as aliens or as fellow human beings, with an overriding sense of xenophobic fear or an all-encompassing sense of compassion. How we choose makes all the difference. As Justice Advocates, we stand on the side of our common humanity. We hope these resources will deepen your understanding of an immensely complex issue, emboldening you to action. They are certainly not exhaustive but we hope that they can lead to deeper understanding and further inquiry.
From Justice Advocates
Session One
Because of the constantly changing nature of immigration law, this session was not recorded.
PowerPoint slide presentation from
Jaime McGuire
Notes with reference links from the presentation on the economic impacts of mass deportation.
Session Two
Session recording includes presentations from Mark Adams, Frontera de Cristo, and Michael Edwards, Roanoke Asylum Seekers Support Network.
From Other Sources
A Glance at the Complexity of the US Immigration System
From the American Immigration Council
(Clink on title to access document. These are just a few examples of documents and reports that can be found here.)
From A Journey to Understanding Our Immigrant Neighbors (St. John's Baptist Church, Charlotte, NC)
The Darien Gap
The Darien Gap links Columbia to Panama. It is the only overland passage connecting Central and South America. It is sixty miles of dense tropical rain forest and steep mountains that was once considered impassable. Today thousands of immigrants from around the world seek passage by paying guides controlled by cartels.
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This journey is featured as a cover story (by Caitlin Dickerson) in the September 2024 issue of The Atlantic. The same journey was chronicled by Anderson Cooper in the CNN special The Whole Story: A Migrant Trail to America. You can watch it in pieces on YouTube starting here.
More Information from the Presbyterian Church -USA
About Frontera de Cristo
Clicking on the image will connect you to the Frontera de Cristo website. Scroll down to find an introductory video about Frontera's ministries, including interviews with Mark Adams, U.S. coordinator, and Frontera's Mexico coordinator Jocabed Gallegos Viesca. Click here to watch an 8 minute video - A Week in the Borderlands - that shares the experiences of one delegation that visited Frontera de Cristo in 2023, including their participation in the weekly Healing Our Borders prayer vigil.
Videos on various issues related to immigration
The Genesis of Exodus (2014)
Violence, Poverty and Social Disintegration: the Root Causes of Central American Migration
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Click on the image for access to the 50 minute film plus background information, reflection guides, and further resources. ​​
Families Held Captive (2015)
23 minutes
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Stories of mothers and children held in detention in the San Antonio region of Texas and those who assisted them - both agencies and churches.
Locked in a Box : Immigration Detention
(2015) 25 minutes
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Stories of persons held in U.S. detention centers and the persons who visit them.