By Taylor Wilson

A group of bipartisan senators revealed a proposal Sunday targeting America’s southern border and pivotal foreign aid. At the border the agreement would expand detention and speed up humanitarian asylum programs. It would also make it harder for people to qualify for asylum. It would create a pathway to citizenship for documented dreamers or children who first came to the US with their parents under a work visa. Border proposals were paired with billions in funding for various US allies. The deal has the backing of President Joe Biden, democratic Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer and Republican minority leader Senator Mitch McConnell. On the other hand, Republican House speaker Mike Johnson and former President Donald Trump have openly rejected the bill.

Meanwhile, as the border debate heats up, a small but growing group of evangelical Christian women are rethinking issues around immigration. I spoke with USA Today Border and immigration reporter Lauren Villagran to learn more. Lauren, good to have you on The Excerpt today.

Lauren Villagran:

Yeah, thanks Taylor.

Taylor Wilson:

So Lauren, can you start by telling us a bit about Carla Cochran and this spiritual calling she felt related to the border?

Lauren Villagran:

I had the opportunity to visit with a woman who identifies as a conservative evangelical Christian from rural Texas who experienced a epiphany a few years ago in which she felt that God was calling her to the US Mexico border to serve asylum seekers. When she experienced this epiphany, she went and she talked to her friends and family, and she was shocked by the response. They weren’t immediately excited for her. And she, like many evangelical women who may question the dominant narratives around the border, are running into resistance in their own communities.

Taylor Wilson:

And what kinds of resistance are we talking about?

Lauren Villagran:

Look, Ms. Cochrane lives in deep red Texas. The county where she lives is predominantly Republican. The county went more than 70% for Trump in 2016. And as you know, and as listeners know, former President Trump has had a very hard line take on the border, often uses very inflammatory language. And this very small but growing movement among evangelical women to maybe come at the issue from a perspective of compassion is seen as somewhat radical in some of these communities. Ms. Cochrane ended up finding an online community called Women of Welcome, which is sponsored by World Relief, which is a Christian aid organization and the National Immigration Forum, which builds itself as a moderate nonpartisan group looking at opportunities for immigration reform.

Taylor Wilson:

This group is reluctant to get political. And Reverend Gabrielle Salguero, president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition said that’s frustrating some Latino evangelicals who have been active advocates for years. Can you talk more about that?

Lauren Villagran:

Yeah, it’s really interesting. I think in this particular evangelical community of women, there’s some reluctance to get politically active in part because the issue has become so toxic. They see, even talking about immigration through a lens of compassion is already a big step forward. But as you mentioned, there are other evangelical groups, including Latino evangelicals who have been working for decades on immigration reform. In part because in some Latino communities, there are families of mixed status who would be directly and immediately affected if there was a mass deportation as former President Trump has promised on the Republican primary campaign trail.

Taylor Wilson:

And Bri Stensrud from Women of Welcome said that compassionate minded evangelical Christians could find some common ground with progressives on issues in what she called the sanctity of life category. Lauren, what does she mean by this?

Lauren Villagran:

Bri Stensrud is the director of the Women of Welcome Group. Her perspective and one that I think some of the other evangelical Christian women share is that if you’re going to be pro-life, you need to be whole life is the way they describe it. This idea that we could discuss some ways of securing the border that also treat people humanely.

Taylor Wilson:

Lauren, it’s an election year. We’ve talked a lot about how immigration could play a role this election cycle here on the show. Could this segment of evangelicals make a difference, play a role in the 2024 election?

Lauren Villagran:

Political analyst and others will say that it’s unlikely that any one group within the broader community of folks who identify as evangelical is going to have any real impact on the presidential election. The short answer is no. I think the more complex answer is generating these kinds of nuanced discussions. Could that move the needle on the way Americans feel about some of these issues longer term?

Taylor Wilson:

All right, Lauren Villagran covers the border and immigration for USA Today. Thank you, Lauren.

Lauren Villagran:

Thanks Taylor.

  christian, evangelical, immigration reform, Women