Our national convening in Nashville last month, Leading the Way, gave a space for one of our newest programs to take part. Students of Welcome exists to give college students the opportunity to have more informed, compassionate, solutions-focused conversations around immigration. Through education, service and advocacy opportunities, they can lead change on their campuses and in their broader communities around immigration by improving our posture towards immigrants. Students of Welcome piloted four chapters in the last academic year, including at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville. 

As we prepared for Leading the Way, Silas, a sophomore at our host school, Belmont University, stepped forward, excited to start a chapter of Students of Welcome at his school. Trevecca and Belmont students partnered together for a conversation on border security and faith, which featured Myal Greene, President of World Relief, and retired Chief Border Patrol Officer Michael DeBruhl, who is also a Forum Fellow. Myal and Michael were asked how their backgrounds serving overseas in Rwanda and in national security shaped their views on immigration and how they had seen churches step into serving immigrants. An important question for both was: "What role do you believe the Church must take if it is to lead the way in reshaping America’s immigration narrative?" Many Christian students at both colleges are hoping their churches do just that. 

Students of Welcome at Trevecca and Belmont are hoping to have positive conversations with their classmates and model that change is possible. Following Leading the Way, Belmont is working on registering their new student organization along with planning their first event advocating for Afghan allies. Trevecca followed Leading the Way with a salsa dancing social and an advocacy campaign for refugees planned for Homecoming weekend. We are excited to have students from both schools join the wider Forum family in using their voices for better policies to create the kind of country we want to be. 

Leading the Way nurtured an atmosphere of partnership, bringing faith and non-profit leaders, business, law enforcement, national security, students and government experts together to search for solutions. While coming from different backgrounds, every leader agreed that immigrants and refugees should be treated with compassion and that we can have security and sound policy without putting fear into immigrant communities. (Check out the recordings here!) 

Trevecca junior Ethan Rice interviews Michael DeBruhl and Myal Greene on how security and compassion work together and the current state of global displacement. (Source: Forum)

Today it was announced that President Trump will set the lowest ceiling for refugee resettlement on record since the program began 45 years ago at 7,500 refugees. Afrikaners from South Africa are the focus, which is a population that does not broadly fit the definition of a refugee. This will exclude persecuted Christians and some of those most in need, such as war-torn Sudan, Congo and Ukraine. The Forum is collaborating with World Relief and our partners Women of Welcome and We Choose Welcome to ask for a higher ceiling of 50,000 and to preserve the pathway to resettlement for those most needing it whether they have fled war, ethnic cleansing, or persecution for their faith. Join the campaign by making three calls today. 

Stay committed and hopeful, 

Christy 

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