Jennifer tells Courtney about the eerie similarities between ICE’s perpetual torment on America’s migrant community and the YA novel Tethered to Other Stars by Elisa Stone Leahy…A book that you’d be hard pressed to find in the public school libraries of today’s ‘Merica.

The book follows seventh grader, Wendy Toledo, as she navigates the nuances of friends, bullies, and science fairs, while also trying to make sense of the woman hiding out from ICE in her local church…as well as her own family’s “legal status”.

Despite its similarities, there are a few major differences between this novel and today’s reality…one being that people can no longer seek sanctuary in a church. There aren’t many places that the Proud Boys, I mean ICE, won’t illegally enter to kidnap you.

Something that hasn’t changed, though, is church support. Many (not all) churches across the country are offering their assistance with securing food, housing, education, employment to people impacted by Trump’s secret polICE.

In addition to concrete support, many churches are sending messages that advocate for “meaningful immigration reform,” and call for an end to “dehumanizing rhetoric and violence” through their nativity scenes. See zip-tied Baby Jesus below (on Substack):

This particular scene was put together by volunteers at Lake Street Church in Evanston, Il, and serves as a reminder that Jesus himself was a brown-skinned immigrant.

Listen to the whole episode to hear more on Trump’s Secret PolICE and their worsening agenda to rid our country of the very people who helped build it, but also some good news stories of people like us who see the seriousness of fighting back.