What happens when man-made laws decide who deserves to stay—and who must be removed?

In this raw and reflective episode of The Sacred Sewer, we start with a real conversation between the host and a coworker—one that began as a casual chat and quickly became a confrontation with how deeply dehumanizing our views on immigration can be. From ICE detentions to asylum policy, from historical laws that favored whiteness to present-day private prison profits, this episode examines the trauma we inflict when we let man-made systems override our moral compass.

You’ll hear:

• ​ A personal, emotional story that grounds the issue in real human dialogue
• ​ The legal difference between “undocumented” and “illegal”
• ​ The disturbing roots of U.S. immigration law—from the Chinese Exclusion Act to the 1924 quota system
• ​ Why enforcement disproportionately impacts Latinx and brown-skinned migrants
• ​ What happens when Christian values meet America’s immigration machine
• ​ And most importantly, how to challenge the narrative and shift our conversations from legality to humanity.

If Jesus were alive today, would he be welcomed with papers—or detained for not having them?

This episode doesn’t offer easy answers—but it invites deeper questions.

📚 Sources Mentioned:

U.S. Immigration Law:

• ​ Title 8 of the U.S. Code § 1325 (Improper Entry)
• ​ 1951 Refugee Convention & 1967 Protocol (UNHCR Asylum Rights)
• ​ Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), 1996
• ​ Immigration Act of 1924 (National Origins Quotas)
• ​ Naturalization Act of 1790 (Limited citizenship to “free white persons”)
• ​ Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

Reports & Research:

• ​ Pew Research Center – Statistics on undocumented migration
• ​ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Enforcement and Removal Operations Reports
• ​ American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) – ICE abuses & rights violations
• ​ Human Rights Watch – Detention conditions and systemic racism in immigration enforcement

🛠️ Resources & Advocacy Links:

• ​ Legal Aid and Advocacy:
• ​ RAICES (Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services)
• ​ National Immigrant Justice Center
• ​ Immigrant Justice Corps
• ​ ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project
• ​ Humanitarian Support & Bail Funds:
• ​ Immigration Bail Fund Directory (via National Bail Fund Network)
• ​ Freedom for Immigrants – Visitation and Support for Detained Migrants
• ​ Education and Storytelling:
• ​ Define American – Story-driven media by immigrants
• ​ Immigration History at the University of Texas – Timeline and law overviews
• ​ Immigrant Stories Project (University of Minnesota)