Reading from a New York Times article from May 17, 2021

Sarah has been an immigration attorney since 2003 and has been with David N. Simmons since 2016.  She spent over a year studying Spanish in Ecuador and currently works with many Central American clients to help them receive asylum.  She is also a volunteer with RMIAN (Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network).  She believes that what she does for families and many single moms is to perform an Act of Hope for those seeking justice, asylum and to help them make a better life.

Susan L. Yarbrough, JD, has a compelling story through her book Bench-Pressed (A Judge Recounts the Many Blessings and Heavy Lessons of Hearing Immigration Asylum Cases).  She recounts the inhumane treatment of 5 individuals from 5 different countries.  

Raquel Lane-Arellano is Policy Manager at (CIRC) the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition and is here to tell a little about her story and talk about the history of US Immigration Policy and share how that history has shaped where US Immigration is now.  Listen for insight and a new perspective on US Immigration and where it is headed in the future.

For more information on CIRC go to coloradoimmigrant.org

Interfaith Immigration Network is a group for religious organizations and people of faith ready to become more involved in immigration issues.  This episode touches on Vecinos - a 7-week virtual training course in accompaniment with our immigrant neighbors.  The 90-minute per week training program begins on February 4th and finishes on March 25th, 2021.  Please contact Mark Wideman at [email protected] for more information.

The 7-week course is designed to educate, challenge, train and inspire participants to become allies of our undocumented neighbors.

***If you listen to this or any of our episodes on Anchor, you may leave messages to me the host.

If you need any information on Interfaith Immigration Network visit Interfaith Immigration Network on Facebook.

Mark Wideman

Host of Immigration Consciousness

Angelica was born in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico and moved to Colorado with her mother at the age of 12.  Angelica has dedicated her undergraduate career to expand higher education access and resources for undocumented students and their families in Colorado.  She believes that every human being deserves to have equal access to health care, education and a healthy and safe environment, regardless of status, skin color, gender or ability.  She has experienced a number of challenges and bears witness to the many injustices that our immigrant community endures everyday.  She is dedicated to advancing transformative public policy and social change through organizing alongside other community members.

Rev. Wayne A. Laws is an ordained Pastor in the United Church of Christ Serving as the Minister of Social Justice and Mission at Mountain View United Church of Christ in Aurora, Colorado.  He is a member of (CFIR) Coloradans for Immigrant Rights and a project of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC).  Listen to hear his story of why he decided he needed to help immigrants and those oppressed by our society.

Andrea was born in Mexico City and came to the U.S. when she was 3 years old.  In 2005, here family settled in the U.S. permanently.  Here her story of how she overcame the anxiety and struggles of moving to another country and how she has created a new life here in the U.S..  Get a new perspective on what people coming from other countries go through.

Sarah Jackson is the founder and executive director of Casa de Paz, a hospitality home in Denver, Colorado, serving families separated by immigrant detention.  Her book, "The House That Love Built", will be available to purchase on July 14th through Book Bar and also on her website casadepazcolorado.org.  To RSVP to her virtual event on July 14th, RSVP to [email protected] for the Zoom link.

In her book she shares tender stories of opening her heart and home to immigrants and engages these questions through profound and tender stores, placing readers in the shoes of individuals on every side of the issue - asylum seekers torn from their families and the guards who oversee them, ordinary people with lapsed visas and families left to survive on their own.

Tom Kowal is one of the founders of CIRC (Colorado Immigrants Rights Committee) has also been a member of AFSC (American Friends Service Committee) for almost 40 years.  He has worked with immigrants in Colorado and Arizona as well as other places in the US.  Tom's ancestors came to the US at the turn of the 20th century.  He talks about how we are called to help all people receive respect, mercy and justice in our society.