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 Crisisexposes 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 Carcano, 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); Santeria: 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."