Immigration Compassion and A Call for Responsible Leaders

This time on Peace Talks Radio, a two-part program. Part one is a focus on outreach efforts that intend to bring some peace and safety to immigrants whose futures have become tangled up in the United States’ evolving immigration stance. First we’ll hear the story of Jose Torres who, in the fall of 2017, became the first person in New Orleans to take sanctuary in a church to avoid deportation. Jose is a community leader with the Congress of Day Laborers, a group of immigrant workers and families who helped to rebuild the city after Hurricane Katrina. Producer Sarah Holtz spoke with Jose at his place of sanctuary, First Grace Methodist Church. Then Suzanne Kryder speaks with Justin Remer-Thamert, director of the New Mexico Faith Coalition For Immigrant Justice, who recently received the Parliament of the World's Religions Justice Award. Justin also offers some ideas about bringing opposing sides of the immigration debate closer together. Finally, Suzanne visits with Bawa Jain, the Secretary-General of The Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders that opened at the United Nations in August 2000 with the intent to find ways that the worldwide religious and spiritual communities can work together as interfaith allies with the United Nations on specific peace, poverty and environmental initiatives.