St. Ignatius of Loyola has been credited with saying, “Pray with all five senses.” During the post-Easter retreat entitled “Nature as Spiritual Practice,” I had the pleasure of praying alongside fellow travelers from across the southwest in a variety of create ways tied to nature.

Thanks be to God, the state of Texas did NOT execute an innocent Latina mother yesterday.

When the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted Melissa Lucio a stay of execution on Monday, they also directed Cameron County District Court to review the new evidence in her case. “It’s a pathbreaking decision,” The Washington Post reports. “It’s not merely a temporary stay of execution, it’s a potential opening to liberty.”

You have likely heard and read all about Melissa Lucio's tragic upcoming execution by the state of Texas, from us, from our partner Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, the Innocence Project (screenshot above captured from Instagram @innocenceproject quoting FSW pastor Jesse Rincones), from the media (NPR, CBS, John Oliver, and many others).

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on Biden v. Texas next week, April 26. This video is a great explanation about what is at stake. Watch until the very end, and learn how this case could set a dangerous precedent for the relationship between a president and the courts.

Need us to back up a little?

MPP stands for Migrant Protection Protocol, a misnomer if there ever was one. It is commonly referred to as "Remain in Mexico." It is one of the two Trump-era immigration policies that Fellowship Southwest has been outspoken against, along with Title 42.

Do you have a book you can say changed your life? I do. I was a freshman in college when I read “Dead Man Walking” by Sister Helen Prejean. It had a profound impact on what I thought, believed, and ultimately upon the trajectory of my life and career.

Since reading that book over 25 years ago I have been adamantly opposed to the death penalty. I recall this conviction as the first time I came to my own conclusion about an issue apart from what I gleaned from my community, culture, and family. It certainly influenced my decision to pursue law school and once there take an advanced criminal law course on the death penalty in Texas.

On April 1, 2022, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced the termination of Title 42 –the COVID-19 order that authorizes the rapid expulsion of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border– on May 23. The decision caused the COVID-19 relief deal to be blocked in the Senate and a bipartisan group of Senators to call for a delay in its ending. The CDC and Biden Administration made this decision despite that more than half of Americans agree with maintaining immigration restrictions at the border.

Pastor Carlos Navarro is preparing for the arrival of 10,000 migrants and refugees in Brownsville and Matamoros this week. With more and more Ukrainians arriving at the Mexican border to claim asylum, combined with the impending end of Title 42 which restricted asylum claims, he has been told to prepare for a much larger group of people than he has served in recent months. Pastor Carlos is up for the task, as he always is. But his supplies are running low, and he has asked for help with restocking.

After two years of advocates calling for the end of Title 42 and witnessing its harmful effects on the lives of many migrants in northern Mexico, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced the termination of Title 42 – the policy that authorizes rapid expulsion of migrants at the border due to COVID-19.

The images from Ukraine are horrific. The widespread destruction unseen in decades except for that caused by hurricanes or earthquakes. Many folks alive today have never witnessed war at quite this scale. The fact that it seems so unprovoked and unjust makes it even more shocking. The whim of an isolated madman.

The millions of people now fleeing the attacks is also a rare phenomenon …for Europeans.

This week has shown a promising development in the case for clemency for Melissa Lucio, the first Hispanic woman on Texas' death row. Melissa was sentenced to death following the tragic death of her two year old daughter Mariah in 2007. Recent compelling evidence points to Melissa's innocence.

All along the U.S.-Mexico border, the pastors who comprise Fellowship Southwest's Immigrant Relief Ministry are welcoming Ukrainian migrants.

In Tijuana, close to the Pacific Ocean, Pastor Juvenal González has fed dozens of Ukrainian migrants waiting on the Mexican side of the San Ysidro International bridge.

"There they are, there they eat, and there they sleep, before crossing the international bridge,” González said. "Ukrainians don't want to go to shelters in Mexico.”

Unnoticed by many due to the war in Ukraine is the silent and sinister war against migrant children. Leaders in Texas, Florida and Tennessee are politicizing the treatment, care, and protection of vulnerable migrant children.

In Texas, the Attorney General prevailed in court preventing the Biden administration from exempting migrant children from expulsion to Mexico under Title 42 –the policy that authorizes rapid expulsion of migrants at the border due to COVID-19 precautions. The result of this lawsuit would hand over unaccompanied migrant children to the dangers awaiting in México.

Thanks to the faithful work of Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, Fellowship Southwest and CBF Texas have been aware of and concerned about the upcoming execution of Melissa Lucio. Many believe she was unjustly put on death row. Lucio is scheduled for execution April 27.

Title 42 – the policy that authorizes rapid expulsion of migrants at the border due to COVID-19 precautions– may have its days numbered.

The reduction in COVID cases has weakened the rationale for its implementation, and recent court rulings have questioned its reach. Recently, Fellowship Southwest, along with more than 300 immigrant, human rights and faith-based organizations sent a letter to the President demanding the end of this policy.

Like many of you, our hearts are heavy for the Ukrainian people. Here are a few donation opportunities we believe are directly benefitting efforts on the ground.

Fellowship Southwest is growing! We are excited to announce the addition of a full-time staff position. As of this week, Cameron Mason Vickrey is the new director of communications and development.

It's an election year. The best way to ensure sound policy-making in your state's upcoming legislature is to have a say in who the policy makers are.

In Texas, early voting for primary elections ends tomorrow, Feb. 25. Election Day is Tuesday, March 1. In a state like Texas, the primary election is sometimes even more important than the November general election, but voter turnout is critically low.

Kasey Jones interviews Rosalío Sosa, a pastor in El Paso whose ministry shifted entirely to serving and sheltering migrants a few years ago. Rosalío is a 2021 recipient of the Emmanuel McCall Racial Justice Trailblazer award.

David Brook’s essay in the New York Times from February 4th is worth your time. “The Dissenters Trying to Save Evangelicalism From Itself” may not have a lot of new information for Christians paying close attention, but it is well done and full of hard truths.

This week, Fellowship Southwest joined our friends at Good Faith Media to visit several border ministry sites. Stephen Reeves, Elket Rodríguez and Jorge Zapata accompanied Mitch Randall, Johnny Pierce and CBF field personnel Sue Smith, as they made their way from Matamoros to Piedras Negras.