Sergio González
@SMGonzalezWI
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Historian of Midwestern Latinos, labor, religion, and sanctuary. Author of Strangers No Longer: Latino Belonging and Faith in 20th Century Wisconsin.
Joined September 2015
It’s finally here! More than a decade in the making, Strangers No Longer: Latino Faith and Belonging in 20th Century Wisconsin is hot off the presses! https://t.co/Kv7h6CKYpN
@IllinoisPress
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REV. BLACK (who was shot in the head with a pepper ball): “If this is what they’re doing to pastors, journalists, teachers, mothers, and the elderly gathered to sing and pray outside ICE facilities… what might they be doing to our neighbors who are behind those walls?”
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"The Church has always recognized in migrants a living presence of the Lord who, on the day of judgment, will say to those on his right: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Mt 25:35)." Pope Leo XIV, Dilexit Nos
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Looking forward to talking more about what the history of sanctuary and faith-based movements for justice can teach us today. Thanks to @BJContheHill for the opportunity to share new work as part of the Shurden Lectures. See you all in the Twin Cities soon!
What does today’s movement for migrant justice have in common with those in the past? In a special Q&A, @SMGonzalezWI shares the connotations that come with the term “sanctuary” and compares the current movement to historical ones. Read more: https://t.co/fZRZtDncna
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NEW: I spoke to clergy and faith leaders who've joined protests at the Chicago-area ICE facility. Three say they've been shot w/pepper balls, sometimes while praying. All say ICE is also violating their religious freedom, and one is arguing it in court.
religionnews.com
(RNS) — Despite potential danger, religious leaders and faith activists have been a visible presence at Chicago-area ICE protests, some waving signs with slogans such as ‘Love thy neighbor’ and ‘Who...
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Thrilled to announce I've signed a book deal. Super grateful to everyone who helped make this possible.
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For more on the history of faith-based religious activism and what real accompaniment looks like, check out my chapter on sanctuary in Faith and Power: Latino Religious Politics Since 1945. https://t.co/PaC21vCYIT
nyupress.org
Illuminates how religion has shaped Latino politics and community buildingToo often religious politics are considered peripheral to social movements, not cen...
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Accompaniment, as theologian Roberto Goizueta notes, is “not an abstraction, or a merely ‘spiritual’ reality.” It instead requires a “mutual bodily presence” from all participants who have agreed to work in this partnership.
A masked ICE agent sprayed David Black, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, directly in the face during protests outside the ICE processing facility in Broadview, Illinois. Photo by Ashlee Rezin of the Chicago Sun-Times.
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A significant thing here: El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ committee on migration, tells @AlejaCorazonHM he is questioning whether Catholics can, in good conscience, join ICE.
religionnews.com
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Before the Georgetown roundtable, El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz told RNS he is questioning whether Catholics can, in good conscience, join ICE.
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1. Note: Homan called an allegation ICE has operated at a church "false" in this interview. He's referring to a specific instance, but apparent ICE/federal agents have operated at and near churches *at least 10 times* under Tump. We tracked them:
religionnews.com
(RNS) — The fear of raids has pushed some congregations back to pandemic-era worship strategies.
HOMAN: To say that puts fear in the immigrant community BRZEZINKSI: No. To do that puts fear in the community. To park the ICE agents' vehicle near a church ... HOMAN: They're on a public street
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Pray without ceasing.
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FACT CHECK: Bondi says sanctuary policies "endanger Americans." But what does the data say about such policies, often adopted to foster *better* cooperation between immigrant communities and local law enforcement? Research shows NO LINK between such policies and crime. New🧵:
Today, the Justice Department published a list of states, cities, and counties identified as having policies, laws, or regulations that impede enforcement of federal immigration laws. “Sanctuary policies impede law enforcement and put American citizens at risk by design,” said
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NEW: @RNS tracked at least 10 incidents of apparent federal agents conducting immigration enforcement activity on church grounds or in the immediate area, with incidents spread across 5 states and Puerto Rico. “This is domestic terror,” one pastor said.
religionnews.com
(RNS) — The fear of raids has pushed some congregations back to pandemic-era worship strategies.
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Religious liberals have advocated for immigrant rights for decades. Sanctuary churches are an example. I offer a brief history of the sensitive locations memo and argue that Trump is redrawing the boundaries of public religion in America. https://t.co/DIJY6UP4Bp
arcmag.org
On July 8, 2025, Alberto Rojas, the Bishop of San Bernardino, offered a dispensation to faithful in his diocese from the holy Catholic obligation of attending Mass. This dispensation extends to those...
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1/ Early on in President Trump’s second term, I spent a few weeks observing Chicago’s immigration court to get a sense of how things were changing. One afternoon in March, the case of a 27-year-old Venezuelan asylum-seeker caught my attention. I want to tell you his story 👇
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NEW from me and @AlejaCorazonHM: Last month something odd happened: Catholic bishops signed two conflicting statements on the GOP budget bill. It’s a split emerging among Catholic leaders — and nuns! — that’s years in the making, accelerated by Trump.
religionnews.com
(RNS) — ‘Francis-aligned’ bishops are following the late pope’s lead in stirring debate where politics and pastoral issues meet.
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Is it normal or legal for federal ICE officers to wear masks during operations?
jsonline.com
Readers asked us if it's legal for ICE officers to wear masks that cover their faces during raids. Here's what we learned.
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I’m thrilled to share that my first book, Banished Citizens is forthcoming with Harvard University Press on October 14, 2025. @Harvard_Press
Forthcoming October 2025, Marla A. Ramírez's BANISHED CITIZENS tells the stories of Mexican American women who faced coerced mass removal between 1921 and 1944 -- and of their descendants, who continue to confront and resist the legacies of this injustice today. @marla_a_ramirez
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From our spring issue: @ElProfeBarba and @SMGonzalezWI on the sanctuary movement. Sanctuary activists face new challenges under Trump’s second term—but their work has always entailed great personal risk. https://t.co/K1VJQzdAS0
dissentmagazine.org
Sanctuary activists face new challenges under Trump’s second term but their work has always entailed great personal risk.
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When asked, I had to share my thoughts on @UWMadison granting an honorary doctorate to the architect of one of this country's most restrictive pieces of immigration legislation. Really a head-scratching move.
Jim Sensenbrenner, who introduced the Patriot Act in 2001 and a controversial immigration reform bill in 2005, was honored Friday with an honorary doctorate from the Universtiy of Wisconsin, sparking backlash from immigrant rights advocates.
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