With many voters listing immigration as one of their top two issues in the 2024 U.S. Presidential election, President Trump believes he has a mandate to enact some of his more extreme immigration proposals. I reached out to Stephen Reeves, Executive Director of Fellowship Southwest (FSW), to get some of his thoughts on what we can expect after the first week of activity and executive orders.
FSW is a network of Christians who work with churches and other organizations to bring attention to immigration and border issues. The interview has been edited for clarity and space.
Craig Nash:
The plight of immigrants is a complicated, multifaceted reality affected by many factors. With that said, much of the attention over the past decade has been on how the executive branch of the U.S. government has shaped the conversation. How would you summarize and review the situation during the four years of the Biden Administration?
Stephen Reeves:
President Biden, in his campaign and early days of his presidency, struck a very different tone than President Trump. His rhetoric was nowhere near as vitriolic as the previous Trump administration. He moved fairly quickly to reverse some of President Trump’s most restrictive policies like Migrant Protection Protocols and Title 42, [which sought to remove immigrants over alleged “public health” concerns.]
Biden also offered different pathways and relief to certain countries, including humanitarian parole and Temporary Protected Status, which allowed some nationalities to enter and gain work permits more quickly.
Because of all this, the numbers of migrants then surged well beyond what the system could process, making the optics on the border politically damaging. The Biden administration then began severely limiting how migrants could start the asylum process.
Ultimately, only by getting an appointment through the CBP1 app could anyone have much hope of winning an asylum claim. The app had a very rocky start, with migrants reporting that it performed poorly. Ultimately, the administration expanded the number of locations where people could access the app and get an appointment at a port of entry to present themselves for asylum.
Over time, the app improved and eventually worked as intended by the administration. While the appointments were minimal, only 1,450 per day across the border, the number of migrants waiting in dangerous border towns, filling up shelters and crossing illegally plunged.
CN:
I’m asking you these questions on inauguration day. There is reporting that during this first week of the second Trump term, the 47th President will issue executive orders sending troops to the border and enacting ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids in large U.S. cities. Looking beyond the chaos, shock and awe that Trump will bring, what are some long-term concerns about what the next four years holds for immigrants?
SR:
I am most concerned about his threats of mass deportations. I fear this would have terrible consequences for families, our economy, and those sent back to experience persecution and cartel violence.
To the extent possible, I don’t think we should break up families who have mixed immigration status. Mass deportations will have dramatically negative economic impacts in particular industries, and I worry about parents having to choose between taking their U.S. citizen children with them to countries they’ve never lived in or leaving them in the U.S.
I’m also concerned for those who have received protection from deportation via the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The future of the program is once again tied up in the courts. We need a solution from Congress ASAP, or those receiving DACA, the exact people we want to be here and continue contributing to society and our economy, will face unjust deportation.
I’m also concerned that a decrease in legal immigration pathways will harm our economic stability as a country.
Lastly, so much of Trump’s immigration rhetoric has been blatantly racist. I worry about who is emboldened by such talk and what that means for the safety of immigrant communities.
So many recent asylum seekers have fled hostile governments and violence. I would hate for them to realize the US is not the safe refuge we have claimed to be.
CN:
Do you see any signs of hope over the horizon for immigrants, both those in the U.S. currently and those desiring to seek a better life here?
SR:
Unfortunately, my sign of hope comes only after a lot of pain. I believe that if President Trump follows through with his most extreme proposals, the results will be so dire that people will wake up to how badly broken our immigration system is. If that pain is spread across enough of society, complete with a catastrophic economic impact and images of inhumane treatment of migrants in internment camp-like settings, there may finally be political will for massive system-wide reform.
This hope is grounded in showing just how broken the system is and how intertwined all our lives are with immigrants.
CN:
Fellowship Southwest works with many partners on the border. What are you hearing from them regarding this Trump administration?
SR:
From those serving in shelters on the other side of the border, there was disappointment and despair as many waiting to present their asylum claim had their appointments canceled and the CBP1 app shut down.
On this side of the border, for the last week or so, our partners have received goodbye messages from Department of Homeland Security officials they had worked closely with for years who were resigning, effective Monday.
There is a general sense of fear for the migrants and uncertainty about the future.
CN:
What is one tangible act a congregation can do to follow the call of Jesus to show love to immigrants in desperate situations?
SR:
The first thing that comes to mind is to befriend the immigrant community in your town. This may be harder now that immigrants are more afraid than before, but we need to be proximate to their fear and suffering.
There are likely immigrant advocacy and service nonprofits in your city. Volunteer with them to learn what they need.
Now is not the time to build a new program at your church or expect the immigrant community to suddenly show up. Instead, use your money and presence to support those who have been doing the work.
Senior Editor at Good Faith Media.