Episode 106: Understanding the Record Number of Migrants at our Southern Border

You’ve undoubtedly seen the photos and videos streaming out of El Paso, Texas. Migrants running across highways, crowds camping out on the streets, and of course the stories of mayors and governors putting immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers on buses and sending them to other places in the United States. The images and headlines are hard to process. I invited Jenny Yang, the Senior Vice President of Advocacy and Policy at World Relief, onto the episode of All Things to help us sift through what’s going on. 

Jenny and I discuss what’s currently taking place at the border, how the situation got to be like it is, what Biden’s visit to El Paso and his newly proposed legislation means, as well as what Christians ought to think about and do about immigration in our country. Jenny’s expert and seasoned perspective is really helpful. 

It’s true that monthly encounters between migrants—attempting to cross north into the United States from Mexico—and agents with the US border Patrol are at levels we have not seen for over two decades. In November 2022, for example, 206,239 encounters were reported, with most migrants coming from Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Peru and Venezuela (https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2023/01/13/monthly-encounters-with-migrants-at-u-s-mexico-border-remain-near-record-highs/). 

World Relief says, “Today, over 100 million people around the world have been forced to leave their home. Each day, that number grows by over 37,000. These families are fleeing for their lives, praying for their safety and desperately seeking refuge. If you’re like us, you believe that everyone deserves a place to call ‘home’. You believe that families and young children deserve safety and security.”

Jenny says, “Advocacy is speaking up with those who are vulnerable to address the underlying causes of injustice and oppression by influencing the policies and practices of people in power. We should love our neighbors on an interpersonal level. But when systemic injustice is at the root of a problem, loving our neighbor means advocacy as well. Advocacy consists of organized efforts and actions seeking to highlight critical issues, influence public attitudes and enact or implement laws and policies. It starts with the reality of “what is” so that a vision of “what should be” can be realized. The ultimate aim of advocacy is to demonstrate the good news of the coming of the Kingdom of God.” (https://worldrelief.org/blog-imagine-what-it-should-be/)

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

World Relief - https://worldrelief.org/

Women of Welcome - https://womenofwelcome.com/

Welcoming the Stranger by Matthew Soerens and Jenny Yang - https://amzn.to/3wCa2Nn