Showdown In The Sonoran Desert: Religion, Law and the Immigration Controversy

Abstract

Set in the Sonoran desert, at the U.S.-Mexico border, in the shadow of migrant deaths, Showdown In The Sonoran Desert examines one of the most daunting ethical questions of our time: How should we treat the strangers who have entered the United States illegally? Gathering a mosaic of opinions, by spending time with Civil Militia groups, Border Patrol agents, Catholic nuns, interfaith aid workers, left-wing protestors, ranchers, and other ordinary citizens in southern Arizona, this dissertation provides a stage for two starkly divided ideological camps to be heard concerning the issue of illegal immigration in the United States: that of religious activists and "people of faith and conscience" who turn to a biblically inspired model of hospitality, which stresses love of stranger and a "borderless" sort of compassion; and the vision of law enforcement, which is rooted in notions of safety, security and strict respect of international borders.