Rep. Roy, listen to the migrants

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy thinks he has the solution to slowing the influx of migrants at our southern border.

His bill, HR

29, assumes a majority of migrants do not have legitimate asylum claims. Roy said that when word spreads around the world that the U.S. is stopping so-called catch-and-release (the practice of asylum-seekers staying with a sponsor while waiting for their court hearings), the numbers of migrants will dwindle so much that the U.S. can hold them all in detention until their court date.

“The flow will stop,” Roy said. “It will dwindle to a small number of people who are truly fearful for their lives.”

I work with Fellowship Southwest, an organization that, alongside ministries, goes to migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border. I have spoken with migrants. I have listened to their stories. I have witnessed their trauma. A change to the U.S. asylum process would not have made a difference to their decisions.

For politicians who are looking for a workaround to the human right to claim asylum, deterrence is preferred. Roy’s plan follows the inhumane family separations, the unjust “Remain in Mexico” and the inexcusable Title 42.

Is deterrence really the goal? The numbers and statistics prove deterrence is ineffective at stemming the flow of migration. If we keep doing something, even though it does not achieve the stated goal, then perhaps the actual goal is something else.

If Roy wants an immigration plan that reflects Christian values, he has some revisions to make.

A key component of Roy’s immigration bill is doubting the validity of asylum-seekers and assuming their intentions are dishonorable. On the other hand, the Bible is clear about welcoming the stranger.

A key component of Roy’s immigration plan is keeping asylum-seekers in detention rather than releasing them to live with sponsors. On the other hand, the Bible is clear about loving our neighbor, and love casting out fear, about proclaiming freedom to prisoners and setting the oppressed free.

If we want immigration reform that reflects compassionate American values, we can look to another San Antonio Republican member of Congress, Tony Gonzales. Gonzales’ proposals in the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act are refreshingly bipartisan, compassionate and practical. He probably has listened to the stories of migrants, as his district stretches across more of the border than any other congressional district.

Gonzales seeks to protect the right to claim asylum, ensure immigration reform does not undermine the Trafficking

Victims Protection Reauthorization Act ( as Roy’s bill would do) and enhance border security.

The church I attend and where my husband pastors is Woodland Baptist. It’s in North Central San Antonio in Roy’s district. Our church hosts a booming ESL program, and this year we are adding a new immigration ministry through a program of Fellowship Southwest called ELIM, or Educational and Legal Immigration Ministries. Through ELIM, our church will become a recognized site where accredited representatives approved by the Department of Justice will provide low-cost legal services to immigrants.

In the process of working with ELIM, our church has heard many firsthand stories from people legally navigating our complex immigration system. The stories are raw and sometimes heartbreaking. But because our country has a way (albeit a slow way) of welcoming nonresidents, there are many happy endings. Families are reunited. The weight of the risk of deportation is lifted. New Americans are welcomed.

Some of these people came here as migrants, fleeing desperate situations, with credible fear for their lives. And because the U.S. allowed them to seek asylum, they were given opportunity and relief.

I hope Roy and the other members of Congress who support H.R. 29 will spend time learning the stories of that migrants — and then believe them.

Meanwhile, the people of Woodland will continue to be people of hope sharing the good news of Christ with our neighbors. Fellowship Southwest will continue faithfully working with ministries that protect, shelter, feed and assist asylumseekers. We will continue defending the right to asylum and advocating for compassionate immigration reform. I hope you will join us.