The U.S. Immigration Crisis

Toward an Ethics of Place

Miguel A. De La Torre

• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN:
  9781498223690
  9781498223713
• eBook ISBN:
  9781498223706
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Theology

The current immigration crisis on our southern borders is usually debated from a safe distance. Politicians create a fear of the migrant to garner votes, while academicians pontificate on the topic from the comfort of cushy armchairs. What would happen if instead the issue were explored with one's feet on the ground--what the author calls an "ethics of place"? As an organic intellectual, De La Torre writes while physically standing in solidarity with migrants who are crossing borders and the humanitarian organizations that accompany them in their journey. He painstakingly captures their stories, testimonies, and actions, which become the foundation for theological and ethical analysis. From this vantage point, the book constructs a liberative ethics based on what those disenfranchised by our current immigration policies are saying and doing in the hopes of not just raising consciousness, but also crafting possibilities for participatory praxis.

Table of contents

• The New Colossus
• Preface
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: On A Street Corner In Nogales, Mexico
• Chapter 2: Downtown Crawfordsville, Indiana
• Chapter 3: On a Trail Five Miles from Arivaca
• Chapter 4: At a Tea Party Anti-Immigrant Protest
• Chapter 5: Tucson’s U.S. District Courthouse
• Chapter 6: Southside Presbyterian Church
• Chapter 7: Back to Nogales, Mexico
• Conclusion: Against Hospitality
• Bibliography