Melissa Stek is the Justice Mobilization Specialist for the Christian Reformed Church of North America. A part of this work is work to network and encourage justice seekers as they take next steps on their justice journeys. Melissa was a former Legislative Assistant to Representative Luis Gutierrez where she wrote sign-on letters, internal memoranda, and various materials for the Congressman’s work in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. She has a Bachelor of Social Work from Calvin College and a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan.

In today’s conversation, Melissa talks with me about the importance of continued citizen advocacy as we come up on the one-year anniversary of the law known as the historically-unprecedented “Remain in Mexico” policy for people seeking asylum in the United States. We discuss the history of racism in American immigration policy from pre-colonial times until the present day, and close with some specific advocacy measures we can do to encourage American lawmakers to eliminate the racial disparities in immigration law.

Links:
PLAYING THE TRUMP CARD: THE ENDURING LEGACY OF RACISM IN IMMIGRATION LAW
David B. Oppenheimer, Swati Prakash, and Rachel Burns
https://www.immigrationresearch.org/system/files/playing_the_trump_card.pdf

Melissa Stek
mstek@crcna.org

Immigrants are a Blessing Not a Burden Campaign
http://justice.crcna.org/blessing-not-burden