Religion has jumped into the sphere of global and domestic politics in ways that few would have imagined a century ago. Some expected that religion would die as modernity flourished. Instead, it now stares at us almost daily from the front pages of newspapers and television broadcasts. Although it is usually stories about the Christian Right or conservative Islam that grab headlines, there are many religious activists of other political persuasions that are working quietly for social justice. This book examines how religious immigrants and religious activists are working for equitable treatment for immigrants in the United States. The essays in this book analyze the different ways in which organized religion provides immigrants with an arena for mobilization, civic participation, and solidarity. Contributors explore topics including how non-Western religious groups such as the Vietnamese Caodai are striving for community recognition and addressing problems such as racism, economic issues, and the politics of diaspora; how interfaith groups organize religious people into immigrant civil rights activists at the U.S.–Mexican border; and how Catholic groups advocate governmental legislation and policies on behalf of refugees.
Designed for both ordained and lay ministers at the diocesan and parish levels, this document challenges us to prepare to receive newcomers with a genuine spirit of welcome.
Anne M. Blankenship's study of Christianity in the infamous camps where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II yields insights both far-reaching and timely. While most Japanese Americans maintained their traditional identities as Buddhists, a sizeable minority identified as Christian, and a number of church leaders sought to minister to them in the camps. Blankenship shows how church leaders were forced to assess the ethics and pragmatism of fighting against or acquiescing to what they clearly perceived, even in the midst of a national crisis, as an unjust social system. These religious activists became acutely aware of the impact of government, as well as church, policies that targeted ordinary Americans of diverse ethnicities. Going through the doors of the camp churches and delving deeply into the religious experiences of the incarcerated and the faithful who aided them, Blankenship argues that the incarceration period introduced new social and legal approaches for Christians of all stripes to challenge the constitutionality of government policies on race and civil rights. She also shows how the camp experience nourished the roots of an Asian American liberation theology that sprouted in the sixties and seventies.
Religion has played a crucial role in American immigration history as an institutional resource for migrants' social adaptation, as a map of meaning for interpreting immigration experiences, and as a continuous force for expanding the national ideal of pluralism. To explain these processes the editors of this volume brought together the perspectives of leading scholars of migration and religion. The resulting essays present salient patterns in American immigrants' religious lives, past and present. In comparing the religious experiences of Mexicans and Italians, Japanese and Koreans, Eastern European Jews and Arab Muslims, and African Americans and Haitians, the book clarifies how such processes as incorporation into existing religions, introduction of new faiths, conversion, and diversification have contributed to America's extraordinary religious diversity and add a comprehensive religious dimension to our understanding of America as a nation of immigrants.
The purchase of this ebook edition does not entitle you to receive access to the Connected eBook on CasebookConnect. You will need to purchase a new print book to get access to the full experience including: lifetime access to the online ebook with highlight, annotation, and search capabilities, plus an outline tool and other helpful resources. This innovative casebook approaches immigration law and policy from a public interest perspective with a special emphasis on issues of social justice. Along with cases and statutory material, Immigration Law and Social Justice employs a variety of materials from appellate cases, client examples, article excerpts, and hypotheticals. These materials not only provide the basic framework for immigration law, but also engage students with the greater social, political, and economic context necessary to understand the movement of immigrants to the United States, as well as the human impact of immigration law enforcement and administration. Through examples, notes and questions that raise the social, racial, and political questions of admission and enforcement, as well as discussion of public interest lawyers’ strategies, this casebook advances students’ understanding of the creative approaches used in the field. Ultimately, this book encourages students to think broadly about relevant social, economic, and political forces. New to the Second Edition: Supreme Court decisions on expedited removal and DACA Analysis of the Trump administration approaches to relief from removal, judicial review, and the rights of noncitizens Major Supreme Court decisions, including Trump v. Hawaii (Muslim ban) and Dimaya v. Sessions (2018) (aggravated felonies) Administrative decisions such as Matter of A-C-M- (material support bar), Matter of A-B- (domestic violence and particular social group) Developments in how immigration courts define convictions Additional/updated material on: History of U.S. immigration laws Race-conscious lawyering; racial justice and immigrant rights New ICE enforcement guidance under the Biden administration; U.S. v. California (upholding California’s sanctuary policies) Citizenship for orphans; renunciation of citizenship Public charge grounds and Title 42 COVID exclusions; I-601A waiver; firearms offenses; crimes involving moral turpitude Restrictions on bond hearings imposed by the Trump administration; monitoring of children’s detention centers under Flores settlement; Zepeda Rivas v. Jennings (requirements on ICE detention facilities in light of COVID-19) Border wall and related litigation; Operation Streamline; worksite enforcement; state and local cooperation Pereira v. Sessions and Niz-Chavez v. Garland (defective Notice to Appear and eligibility for cancellation of removal); cancellation of removal Examination of right to counsel for minors and for non-detained respondents with mental challenges; ineffective assistance of counsel; restrictions imposed by Trump administration on immigration court continuances; problems with distance videoconference hearings New refugee numbers under the Biden administration; past persecution; membership in particular social groups Professors and student will benefit from: Deep background on the social context of immigration law and its enforcement in the context of a sophisticated examination of the technicalities of relevant statutory and administrative law Materials encouraging students to learn relevant law with an eye toward potential advocacy, including litigation strategies, and which challenge students to evaluate critically the mutually constitutive work of race and immigration law Contextual background to understand immigration and immigration enforcement Unique focus on immigration and social justice, as well as public interest immigration lawyering Focus on issues of contemporary relevance, highlighting some of the most contentious areas of immigration law and policy Materials designed to facilitate student understanding of the letter of immigration law, and to encourage students to think creatively about possible reform Integrated critical materials exploring the role of race, class, religion, gender, and disability in immigration law and policy Problems designed to encourage active learning and application of law
"This timely and humane book redirects our attention from headlines that frame issues of ethnicity and religion as divisive and conflict-ridden to the quiet and unswerving work of persons of faith who promote understanding and compassion. As such, this book not only opens our eyes to the work of religious activists, it also provides insight into ourselves. It is an excellent study that offers much to scholars interested in immigration, religion, and social movements, and I certainly hope it will inspire policy makers and public officials as well."—Cecilia Menjivar, author of Fragmented Ties: Salvadoran Immigrant Networks in America "In this enlightening book, Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo explores the surprising ways in which diverse Muslim, Jewish, and Christian activists have engaged in projects of inclusion—from the workplaces of Los Angeles and Orange County to the San Diego-Tijuana border. In the process, rather than imposing new layers of monotheistic religious separatism, they advance the democratic ideals of American pluralism."—Rubén G. Rumbaut, co-author of Immigrant America and Legacies: The Story of the Immigrant Second Generation. "Three of the most persistent themes in American history are immigration, race, and religious devotion. Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo brilliantly examines their interaction in recent U.S. politics. How to protect and nurture new immigrants is perhaps our nation's most morally urgent problem right now, even while mainstream politicians seem obsessed instead with 'protecting' our borders. This book shows how a small number of brave people, taking their religion seriously, are grappling with these fundamental issues."—James M. Jasper, City University of New York "A much-needed corrective to our often skewed understanding of the role of religion in public life. With unusual sensitivity and perceptiveness, Hondagneu-Sotelo tells the compelling stories of activists from a variety of religious traditions who are guided by their faith to work for immigrant rights and social justice. They provide the rest of us with a 'moral blueprint' for living in an increasingly global world."—Peggy Levitt, author of Transnational Villagers "God's Heart Has No Borders makes vital contributions to current policy and scholarly debates about immigration. It will elevate the national conversation, providing a much-needed antidote to facile and polarizing readings of this complex phenomenon. Hondagneu-Sotelo's judicious and rigorous-yet-sensitive approach allows the voices, values, and experiences of religious activists working for immigrant rights to emerge with full moral force. At the scholarly level, she offers rich and fresh insights into the unique ways in which religion can contribute to transformative social action and civil public discourse."—Manuel A. Vásquez, co-editor of Immigrant Faiths: Transforming Religious Life in America
Introduction: Calling in San Francisco -- Resurrecting Christian faith -- Praying, then delivering miracles -- Gathering souls with food -- Converting bowling to civic involvement -- Blessing passion and revolution -- Reconciling old and young spirits -- Conclusion: Embracing new bonds and bridges.
A provocative examination of how new realities of religion and migration are subtly challenging the very definition of what it means to be an American. Sociology professor Levitt argues that immigrants no longer trade one membership card for another, but stay close to their home countries, indelibly altering American religion and values with experiences and beliefs imported from Asia, Latin America and Africa. The book is a pointed response to Samuel Huntington's famous clash of civilisations thesis and looks at global religions' organisation for the first time.
