In back-to-back decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court handed two major wins to the Trump administration that could strip life-saving protections from nearly a million people, most of them from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua, while legal battles continue.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) is a budget reconciliation bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a 215 to 214 vote on May 22, 2025. The bill is likely to change substantively as it moves to the Senate and subsequently returns to the House for final passage. Here are five concerning things about the bill regarding immigration:

While the country opens its doors to 59 white South Africans arriving as refugees from a nation where apartheid no longer exists, the same government decides to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 8,000 Afghans—many of them Christians, many of them our allies through two decades of war. And the broader Christian public? Overwhelmingly silent. Again.

TCIM’s cohort one traveled to California last week to connect and learn from leaders in immigration ministries. It was a five day four night trip beginning in Los Angeles and ending in San Diego. The goal of the connection trip as part of our curriculum for TCIM is for churches in our program to connect, learn and build relationships with other leaders in immigration ministries, along with building stronger relationships among themselves.

No ministry at the border has adapted more nimbly to shifting policies than Pastor Carlos Navarro and Iglesia Bautista West Brownsville (IBWB). Over the past six years, their migrant ministry has continually reshaped itself in response to changing immigration policies and practical needs—anchored by a steady, gospel-centered commitment to those on the margins.

Last Friday, April 4, Fellowship Southwest and over two dozen other plaintiffs were represented by the Institute for Constitutional and Advocacy Protection (ICAP) at Georgetown Law at the lawsuit’s first hearing in federal district court in Washington, D.C. Anyra Cano attended the hearing and the previous night’s interfaith prayer vigil on behalf of Fellowship Southwest.

The Fellowship Southwest Board of Directors met for their semi-annual meeting March 31 and April 1 in Houston, Texas. The chair of the board, Bishop John Ogletree, hosted the group at First Metropolitan Church where he was founding pastor 39 years ago.

Fellowship Southwest remains alarmed and disturbed by the numerous anti-immigrant actions by the new administration. A summary of some of the major actions compiled by Elket Rodriguez can be found here. 

Last weekend, a family from Nicaragua, let us know how desperate they felt when they learned the current administration was canceling humanitarian parole for immigrants from Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela, and Haiti.

On Sunday, March 9, 2025, I visited Stillwater, Oklahoma, for the CBF Oklahoma Spring Gathering and had the opportunity to introduce the Thriving Congregations Immigration Ministry program to the attendees. In an effort to invite more churches to join TCIM, I will be visiting some events in the next few months. 

Earlier this week, Fellowship Southwest signed joined a letter to US House and Senate leadership expressing our concerns over the recent attack on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). FSW was joined by several national organizations including the National Association of Evangelicals, the Union for Reform Judaism, and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, among others. You can see a copy of the letter here.

In May, 2024, 12 passionate souls from Royal Lane Baptist Church traveled to the border to “serve…in love.” Accompanied by Senior Pastor Victoria Robb Powers, we were determined to spread that love and hope, but we received so much in return.

When my colleague, Elket Rodriguez, shared the news that the CBP One application, which migrants use to schedule appointments at the U.S. ports of entry, had been canceled, my heart was overwhelmed with concern for the migrants who would be affected. I immediately reached out to some of our partners along the border, and one by one, they shared heartbreaking updates.

I know you want to check on these migrants, too, so come along with me from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico…

As you may be aware, President Trump has taken immediate and sweeping action to overhaul U.S. immigration policy following his inauguration Monday.

I’ve put together a concise overview of the significant shifts in immigration policy under the new administration.

It’s an odd coincidence but not unprecedented. The inauguration of a new president and the MLK holiday have been the same day before. The last time was 1997 for President Clinton’s second inauguration.