Weekly News 1.24.25
Hi y’all,
When I first became familiar with COTC nearly five years ago, before I worked here and before my family relocated to Austin, one of the first things I learned was that it was a community of people who cared deeply about issues related to immigration and refugees. This remains true today; COTC is made up of people who take seriously the call to welcome the stranger. Many of you are well-informed about these issues; some in our community work, have worked, or serve in these areas. Some who call COTC home are immigrants and refugees themselves.
It’s likely not news to any of you that President Trump announced the suspension of the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program this week. I’m sure many of you have questions about what this means. You’ve also likely heard about other potential changes the new Administration might make, and you’re wondering what you can do. In light of this, we wanted to share some resources and next steps.
Stay informed by seeking out information from reputable sources. There are a few listed below.
Read this response from The Diaspora Network (it also references World Relief and lists additional next steps, similar to the ones listed below). If you haven’t already, sign up to receive updates from their blog.
World Relief provides current and accessible information. You can read more from them below.
If you have questions about the intersection of Christianity and immigration, The Evangelical Immigration Table provides great resources, including Thinking Biblically about Immigrants and Immigration Reform
Pray for those impacted by these changes and for the organizations the serve them. A specific request I received this week was, “prayer for the refugee families whose travel was canceled and hope deferred. Pray for their safety and an opportunity for them to seek solace in Him who we know as our ultimate Hope.”
Act
When I met with the offices of Texas senators and members of Congress in November, one of the biggest things they encouraged faith leaders and churches to do was support local agencies working with refugees and immigrants. We will be sharing information in the coming weeks about ways to engage with World Relief and the work they are doing locally and abroad. You can also contact your local officials to advocate for this issue.
Contact Jonathan about serving at Kid’s Club.
Give to World Relief or others orgs to support the work they are doing.
Additional information from World Relief:
Refugee Resettlement will be suspended on January 27. All refugee arrivals to the United States will be suspended for at least several months, which means millions of families will remain in danger, and countless others separated, unable to reunite safely.
Threats of mass deportations loom: The actions previewed Monday are likely to affect many immigrant families who have resided in the U.S. for years without having been convicted of any crime. If the administration seeks to expand deportations as widely as within their legal authority, between 4 and 5 million parents of minor U.S. citizen children could face deportation.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is at risk: More than half a million Dreamers — young people who have called the U.S. home their entire lives — face an uncertain future. Although President Trump indicated his desire to find a bipartisan legislative solution to protect certain Dreamers, it’s unclear whether Congress can reach a consensus, and last week an appeals court affirmed a lower court decision finding that DACA was created unlawfully.1
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions or if you’d like to stay informed on ways to get involved as we begin work with World Relief.
We look forward to worshipping with y’all on Sunday.
The peace of Christ,
Kimberly+
“And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.” Deuteronomy 10:19