From the attack 10 days ago by a gunman who targeted Hispanics at an El Paso Walmart, to migrant family separations and detentions at U.S. Customs and Border Patrol facilities, to the arrest of nearly 700 undocumented factory workers in a raid in Mississippi last week, and a policy announced just yesterday by the Trump Administration that will make getting a green card even harder for low-income, legal immigrants, it’s been a time of extraordinary turmoil in the immigrant community throughout the United States.
Today on Midday, a conversation about the continuing crisis at the U.S. southern border and the human impact of increasingly restrictive US policies toward migrants. Tom is joined in the studio by three guests with unique perspectives on immigration...
Krish O’Mara Vignarajahis the president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, which provides support services to international refugees. Ms. Vignarajah, whose family fled civil war in Sri Lanka for the United States when she was just nine months old, served as policy director for Michelle Obama and previously, as an advisor at the State Department. She also ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for governor of Maryland….
Carolyn Barker-Villena is a development specialist who’s spent the past decade with Lutheran World Relief, a global relief agency. Ms. Barker-Villena serves as LWR's Senior Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean...
And joining us as well is David Cronin. He’s a government affairs specialist at Catholic Relief Services, based in Washington, D.C. He lobbies Congress and the administration on development efforts for Latin America & the Caribbean, and international refugee issues.
This conversation was live-streamed on WYPR's Facebook page. You can view the video here.
