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The U.S. Immigration Crisis: Toward an Ethics of Place
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.
"Miguel's introduction on an ethics of place will surely set academia's hair on fire. He then eloquently practices what he preaches by inviting the reader into all those places where migrants are suffering--and dying--and struggling for liberation. When anyone asks me about 'the problem of immigration' now, I will hand them this compelling book. Be Presente!"
--John Fife, Cofounder of the Sanctuary Movement
"Hard-hitting and challenging, The U.S. Immigration Crisis exposes the dark side of current immigration realities. De La Torre puts a human face on biting policy critique by taking his readers to several conflictive places so that they might see the injustices and hear the undocumented tell their tragic stories. This is no neutral analysis, but rather an impassioned effort to redefine the national debate."
--M. Daniel Carroll R. (Rodas), Blanchard Chair in Old Testament at Wheaton College
"Through the orthopraxis of joining immigrants on their journey in an attempt to understand the rightful faith response to the immigration crisis in the US, De La Torre unpacks history and gives witness to the fact that the immigration from the South into the US should not surprise anyone. Sharing the stories of immigrants he challenges our US arrogance, ignorance, and our collective sinfulness and calls for reparations. De La Torre clearly states what many of us have experienced and come to know over decades of working for US immigration reform, giving us hope."
--Minerva Carcaño, Bishop, Los Angeles Area Office, The United Methodist Church
"As it looks at migration from the ground floor, this richly descriptive work not only gives us more information about migration but a new imagination, one rooted in the dignity of each person and the call to human solidarity."
--Daniel G. Groody, University of Notre Dame
Miguel A. De La Torre has authored numerous articles and more than thirty books, including the award-winning Reading the Bible from the Margins (2002); Santerí The Beliefs and Rituals of a Growing Religion in America (2004); Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins (2014); and Hispanic American Religious Cultures (2009). He presently serves as Professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies at Iliff School of Theology in Denver. He was the 2012 President of the Society of Christian Ethics.
"Miguel's introduction on an ethics of place will surely set academia's hair on fire. He then eloquently practices what he preaches by inviting the reader into all those places where migrants are suffering--and dying--and struggling for liberation. When anyone asks me about 'the problem of immigration' now, I will hand them this compelling book. Be Presente!"
--John Fife, Cofounder of the Sanctuary Movement
"Hard-hitting and challenging, The U.S. Immigration Crisis exposes the dark side of current immigration realities. De La Torre puts a human face on biting policy critique by taking his readers to several conflictive places so that they might see the injustices and hear the undocumented tell their tragic stories. This is no neutral analysis, but rather an impassioned effort to redefine the national debate."
--M. Daniel Carroll R. (Rodas), Blanchard Chair in Old Testament at Wheaton College
"Through the orthopraxis of joining immigrants on their journey in an attempt to understand the rightful faith response to the immigration crisis in the US, De La Torre unpacks history and gives witness to the fact that the immigration from the South into the US should not surprise anyone. Sharing the stories of immigrants he challenges our US arrogance, ignorance, and our collective sinfulness and calls for reparations. De La Torre clearly states what many of us have experienced and come to know over decades of working for US immigration reform, giving us hope."
--Minerva Carcaño, Bishop, Los Angeles Area Office, The United Methodist Church
"As it looks at migration from the ground floor, this richly descriptive work not only gives us more information about migration but a new imagination, one rooted in the dignity of each person and the call to human solidarity."
--Daniel G. Groody, University of Notre Dame
Miguel A. De La Torre has authored numerous articles and more than thirty books, including the award-winning Reading the Bible from the Margins (2002); Santerí The Beliefs and Rituals of a Growing Religion in America (2004); Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins (2014); and Hispanic American Religious Cultures (2009). He presently serves as Professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies at Iliff School of Theology in Denver. He was the 2012 President of the Society of Christian Ethics.
- GenresTheologyNonfiction
198 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 17, 2016
9 people are currently reading
197 people want to read
About the author
Miguel A. de la Torre
43 books58 followersDe La Torre received a Masters in Divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a doctorate from Temple University in social ethics. The focus of his academic pursuit has been ethics within contemporary U.S. thought, specifically how religion affects race, class, and gender oppression. He specializes in applying a social scientific approach to Latino/a religiosity within this country, Liberation theologies in Latin America, and postmodern/postcolonial social theory.
De La Torre currently servers as the Professor of Social Ethics and Latino/a Studies at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado.
De La Torre currently servers as the Professor of Social Ethics and Latino/a Studies at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 11, 2024
Had to read this for my class regarding Christianity and Immigration—and really liked it! I learned so much from this, from all perspectives, and felt such an emotional pull. It featured all forms of economic information, as well as how immigration has been a politicized topic and how the church should respond (the answer is: care for the refugee/immigrant/stranger/neighbor)!
The author clearly is an angry and passionate person over this issue with first hand experiences and it helped me gain a new perspective that gave me a new lens to see the U.S through, as well as its border with Mexico.
The author clearly is an angry and passionate person over this issue with first hand experiences and it helped me gain a new perspective that gave me a new lens to see the U.S through, as well as its border with Mexico.
September 25, 2019
If you want to know the truth about the history of the immigration problems at the U.S. southern border this is the definitive book. There could been no better information and truth out there. The book flows amazingly well even with the amount of facts packed in. Great bibliography. I feel that I now have an informed foundation for my moral and ethical beliefs. There are also examples of the humanity of the plight of the immigrant which illustrate the nuances of the struggle to find a place.
February 9, 2024
Found this book to be incredibly interesting and relevant. NAFTA and the Bracero program were two topics that peaked my interest. Was not completely confident in all of De La Torre's theology, but it certainly made me question my own and consider ways in which my beliefs do not reflect God's heart for the immigrant. Left with more questions, but less naivety.
July 22, 2016
The United States has an immigration problem, and it's a problem largely of our own making. Decisions made decades in the past created the climate that has only been exacerbated by more recent decisions. There is hope, but it will take soul-searching, repentance, and a willingness to go in a new more humane and compassionate direction. Hospitality is important -- that is welcoming the stranger -- but it is not enough. Why? Because hospitality implies possession. Perhaps something else, more radical, is required of us.
Miguel De La Torre has authored a compelling introduction to the current crisis, one that is riling the political realm. One presidential candidate is calling for a new wall and paints immigrants, especially undocumented immigrants, in the darkest of tones. De La Torre is Professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies at Illif School of Theology (Denver). He reveals in the book that he himself, as a young child, came to the United States as an undocumented immigrant -- from Cuba. He understands the fear that is present in those who find themselves in a similar situation. Unfortunately current policy is even more restrictive today than in 1960.
This is a powerful book. It is a must read book. It is a challenging book. You may not like you read. But that's okay. We shouldn't enjoy this book, because it reveals a side of American life many of us have never experienced and likely can't believe is true. Are border patrol agents as brutal as revealed here? Are American policies, even under a Democratic president who professes support for immigration reform, as callous as we read here?
What makes this book powerful are the stories, stories of people whose lives have been destroyed by policies on both sides of the border. In an attempt to deter border crossings, we have made the journey more dangerous and more unjust. Since NAFTA is in the news, it is eye-opening to see the effect of trade policies on the other side of the border. Yes, manufacturing jobs have been lost in the United States, but Mexico's agricultural economy, especially corn production, has been decimated.
At the heart of this book is a call to remember that Brown Lives Matter also. What is most problematic about the current political scene is the capitalization on the feeling that whites are victims. De La Torre, writes that by portraying whites as victims, "the victimizer is free from having to deal with how societal structure has been normalized and legitimized to privilege them" (p. 83). That dystopian vision is rooted in the belief that "Euroamericans, seeing themselves as the norm, are in effect race-less, that everyone else is 'colored,' while they have no color" (p. 84).
De La Torre speaks of this book as an expression of an "ethics of place." What he does here is "reflect on the praxis of those who are actually crossing deserts as a response to the injustices forced upon them and upon those who are documented who place their bodies on the life so as to be in solidarity with the dispossessed" (p. xix). We who have not experienced this "place," and who have not been "present" in this place, will feel uncomfortable, but it is discomfort that is needed if change is to take place. As I noted earlier, De La Torre doesn't feel that the usual progressive answer of hospitality is sufficient. I will leave his solution to you to discover as you read the book.
Miguel De La Torre has authored a compelling introduction to the current crisis, one that is riling the political realm. One presidential candidate is calling for a new wall and paints immigrants, especially undocumented immigrants, in the darkest of tones. De La Torre is Professor of Social Ethics and Latinx Studies at Illif School of Theology (Denver). He reveals in the book that he himself, as a young child, came to the United States as an undocumented immigrant -- from Cuba. He understands the fear that is present in those who find themselves in a similar situation. Unfortunately current policy is even more restrictive today than in 1960.
This is a powerful book. It is a must read book. It is a challenging book. You may not like you read. But that's okay. We shouldn't enjoy this book, because it reveals a side of American life many of us have never experienced and likely can't believe is true. Are border patrol agents as brutal as revealed here? Are American policies, even under a Democratic president who professes support for immigration reform, as callous as we read here?
What makes this book powerful are the stories, stories of people whose lives have been destroyed by policies on both sides of the border. In an attempt to deter border crossings, we have made the journey more dangerous and more unjust. Since NAFTA is in the news, it is eye-opening to see the effect of trade policies on the other side of the border. Yes, manufacturing jobs have been lost in the United States, but Mexico's agricultural economy, especially corn production, has been decimated.
At the heart of this book is a call to remember that Brown Lives Matter also. What is most problematic about the current political scene is the capitalization on the feeling that whites are victims. De La Torre, writes that by portraying whites as victims, "the victimizer is free from having to deal with how societal structure has been normalized and legitimized to privilege them" (p. 83). That dystopian vision is rooted in the belief that "Euroamericans, seeing themselves as the norm, are in effect race-less, that everyone else is 'colored,' while they have no color" (p. 84).
De La Torre speaks of this book as an expression of an "ethics of place." What he does here is "reflect on the praxis of those who are actually crossing deserts as a response to the injustices forced upon them and upon those who are documented who place their bodies on the life so as to be in solidarity with the dispossessed" (p. xix). We who have not experienced this "place," and who have not been "present" in this place, will feel uncomfortable, but it is discomfort that is needed if change is to take place. As I noted earlier, De La Torre doesn't feel that the usual progressive answer of hospitality is sufficient. I will leave his solution to you to discover as you read the book.
February 9, 2018
Powerful book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews