Thread by @MatthewSoerens

My heart is heavy tonight after a day along the border. There are amazing people doing all they can to respond with Christ-like compassion here in El Paso--the Church at its best. But there's also so much human suffering converging here, exacerbated by US policies in some cases

Seeing dozens of small kids playing in a short-term migrant shelter, among the lucky few to be released pending asylum hearings, I couldn't help but think of the many more being returned to Mexico to wait for months for a hearing, a situation we will observe tomorrow...

…& I also become angry when I read about the desperate, unsanitary conditions some of these children have been held in prior to being released, documented in this @AP report, including insufficient food, rampant disease & inadequate care for young kids apnews.com/46da2dbe04f54a…

I know that many Border Patrol agents are doing the best they can with an incredibly difficult circumstance. We met with and prayed for one today. While there may be some bad apples, most are working incredibly hard & are moved by the plight of these kids & their moms & dads

But lawmakers have prioritized funding to respond to a non-existent security crisis that fits a political narrative rather than adequately resourcing personnel & facilities to humanely process asylum seekers who are presenting themselves to our government—not trying to sneak in

Our government quibbles in court over what it means to provide "safe & sanitary" settings for kids in its custody

Its facilities—under both this administration & the last—at times failed to provide soap, toothbrushes or darkness at night so kids can sleep washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/06…

In a facility housing unaccompanied kids run by a for-profit company, a boy who who is too committed to his Christian faith to repeat the particular words describes the insults used to describe him & his mother miaminewtimes.com/news/children-…

These are kids, & our country must do better

On a few occasions, I've traveled to & lived for months at a time in Central America. I was welcomed into the homes of families with incomes a small fraction of my own.

They embraced me, loved me, prayed with & for me & continue, years later, to be dear friends

I'm saddened by how my country treats people from Central America who have fled desperate situations of extreme poverty, gang violence, extortion & political corruption

While churches are responding in amazing ways to those they can access, our country overall is rejecting them

While we should show compassion & love to anyone in these circumstances, because each is made in God's image with inherent dignity, I think most American Christians have missed the reality that the majority of these asylum seeking families are deeply committed Christians

These are our family

They are "the least of these brothers & sisters" of whom our Lord Jesus spoke. When we we welcome them, we welcome our Lord and Savior Himself (Matt 25:31-40)

But if we refuse, averting our eyes to their pain, we do so unto Jesus (Matt 25:41-46)

A friend, recently back from Guatemala, shared a message for US Christians that he heard from multiple pastors there last week:

"Please tell them we are not animals"

I saw little girls and boys and moms and dads today. They are not animals.

The Church mus say so loudly, with our words, by calling for just, compassionate policies & in the ways we steward our resources to make sure they are treated humanely & can access legal counsel

Support legal services for asylum seekers & other immigrant families, plus advocacy efforts, through @WorldRelief's family reunification fund worldrelief.org/family-reunifi…

Support ministries on both sides of the border addressing the immediate needs of migrant families

I personally can vouch for the good work being done by Ciudad Nueva (ciudadnueva.org/donate/)

There are other orgs elsewhere along the border listed here evangelicalimmigrationtable.com/ways-to-suppor…

Spend time in prayer & Bible study, ensuring that our response is a distinctly Christian response.

This beautiful @CTmagazine piece might be a good place to start christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/june-w…

Or a Bible-reading guide like bible.com/reading-plans/… or bible.com/reading-plans/…

Dive deeper with the Evangelical Immigration Table's free e-book at evangelicalimmigrationtable.com/thinking-bibli…, or find @JennyYangWR's & my Welcoming the Stranger (welcomingthestranger.com)

Don't stop at reading alone: invite others in your church to dive into what the Bible says about immigrants

Lastly, let your elected officials know that the status quo is unacceptable. We can't treat kids this way.

You do that by looking up their phone numbers and calling, leaving a message, tweeting at them, writing them a letter, etc.

The US cannot let everyone in. But we should respect our own laws that allow people to request asylum & ensure they have due process. We should treat all people with dignity throughout the process, which means more resources urgently, not for a wall but for facilities & personnel

And we must also advocate for our government to do all we can to address the poverty, violence & corruption in Central America that is fueling this crisis

Cutting aid is not just counter-productive, it's cruel, as @IJM's @IJimMartin eloquently explains christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/june-w…

Some great ministries in Central America (several of which are facing massive reductions in programs as a result of irrational US reductions to foreign aid) include @ENLACEtweets, @ajs_us, @WorldVisionUSA, @IJM & many others

Give. Advocate. Educate. Pray.

Repeat.

One more thing: here's a tool to determine who your Members of Congress are and know the phone numbers to call worldrelief.org/call-to-reunite

Fill up their voicemail box over the weekend

Call again on Monday

And Tuesday

And Wednesday

Until it stops