Review: A Podcast Exploring the History of Immigrant Sanctuaries (opinion)
Historians Sergio González and Lloyd Barba, of Marquette University and Amherst College, respectively, explore that movement's history in the podcast Sanctuary: On the Border Between Church and State. "What we find in the sanctuary movement is one of the most dramatic and successful challenges to state power perhaps in the history of the United States," González says in the first episode.
As the U.S. government refused to protect Central American asylum seekers in the 1980s, houses of worship took up the task. The work of sheltering undocumented immigrants, while informed by genuine religious beliefs, violated federal law. Some sanctuary activists paid the price: Operation Sojourner, under which government agents embedded themselves in church meetings, led to the prosecution of nuns, priests, and other volunteers. The movement didn't die; it evolved to meet different challenges over the next several decades.
In an increasingly secular nation, the podcast asks, what is the role of sanctuary? The proliferation of "sanctuary cities" and "sanctuary states"—and the development of nonimmigration applications, such as "Second Amendment sanctuaries"—proves that sanctuary, and the challenge to state power it represents, remains an important practice, especially as the second Trump administration brings a renewed threat to undocumented immigrants.
The post Review: A Podcast Exploring the History of Immigrant Sanctuaries appeared first on Reason.com.
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Statistics show that since 2019, over 50,000 young people have chosen to work and start businesses in Anji, gradually making it known as a 'top destination for youth returning to the countryside.' From Beautiful Villages to a Beautiful China At the entrance to Yucun, nestled among lush greenery beside a small bridge over flowing water, a large stone bears the inscription 'lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets' - now one of the most iconic symbols of China's ecological civilization efforts. As the birthplace of the 'two mountains' concept, Yucun draws in many visitors. During the Global Times' visit, a group of faculty and students from Fujian Province's Xiamen University were conducting a summer research program titled 'Retracing the Two Mountains Path: Co-building the Ecological Circle.' Jiang Yizhou, a master's student from the College of Environment and Ecology at Xiamen University, told the Global Times that 'we wanted to see how the past 20 years were actually lived. Traditionally, people view ecology and the economy as a seesaw - gains in one mean losses in the other. But here, we see they are not merely balanced - they are synergized. Both ecological protection and economic growth rise together, achieving a kind of decoupling.' Today, the concept that 'lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets' has become a widespread consensus and shared action across society. According to Xinhua, regions nationwide are exploring various 'two mountains' transformation paths. Models such as 'protecting green for gold,' 'aggregating green into gold,' and 'leveraging green for gold' have been refined across 572 ecological civilization demonstration zones and 240 'two mountains' bases, with ecological dividends continuing to emerge. At the post office at Yucun's entrance, Global Times reporters saw several tourists writing postcards about their trip - on the back of each card was an aerial snapshot of a green and lush Yucun. Pan Chunlin's 'Chunlin Mountain Lodge' was welcoming a new group of guests. The students from Xiamen University took a group photo in front of the stone monument before heading to their next research destination. When asked whether the vision he had for Yucun 20 years ago had come true, Pan raised his fist and replied, 'That goal has been achieved, and I believe tomorrow will be even better!' When the concept of 'lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets' transforms from the choice of one village into the choice of millions of lives, a Beautiful China comes into view. View original content: SOURCE Global Times
