A Catholic priest, a charismatic layperson and a Presbyterian pastor met with the patrol officer in charge of the Douglas border patrol station to discuss possible responses to the increased number of people dying while migrating in Sulphur Springs Valley, the valley in which Douglas, Arizona, and Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico, sit. The “prevention through deterrence” border policy instituted by the Clinton administration, the economic boom of the 1990s and the devastation of the Mexican economy had turned our sleepy and isolated valley into the primary crossing point for unauthorized migration into the U.S. As a nation, we chose deserts and mountains as deadly deterrents to migration. Our policy is intentionally lethal.
For more than a week, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) leaders have followed the path taken by Syrian refugees across parts of Europe as they escaped the war and violence in their own country. Holy Week for PC(USA) moderator Heath Rada and his team, has been met with heartache, encouragement and determination from the church and its partners.
Willow Grove Presbyterian Church in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, has a long history of opening its arms to people coming to this country for a new start. In the 1970s, the church welcomed a Vietnamese family escaping the trappings of war in their homeland. Relationships with this family, according to pastor Cynthia Cochran-Carney, are still strong today.