A 3,200-mile bike ride along the U.S.-Mexico border to see what America’s immigration policy looks like in action.
We The People Ride is a 3,200-mile bike ride along the United States-Mexico border, from San Diego, California, to St. Augustine, Florida. Led by Vote Common Good, members of the public are invited to join any length of the journey, both in person and online.
As the group rides, they are finding and telling the stories of those most impacted by U.S. immigration policy, and sharing their experiences and treatment. RNS will publish their dispatches from the road.
“We pledge to look to those living on the border-land for answers, opportunities and changes to immigration policy,” wrote Doug Pagitt, an evangelical pastor and the executive director of Vote Common Good. “We hope to connect and learn from immigrants to deepen our nation’s understanding and ability to call for just-action at our border. In traveling to the border, we hope to remind the public that immigration is a human story, and that it is a Christian duty to fight for fair immigration policy.”
As our group of riders — small, but strong and quickly growing in size — crosses a particularly rough patch of California land, I pause.
In the few days since we embarked on our journey along the border to Florida, U.S. citizens and immigrant families alike have watch with bated breath as Congress deliberates about a pathway to citizenship in its reconciliation package; Haitian refugees continue to be forcefully expelled from our land; and Republican governors have travelled to the border to outline their 10-step “security” plan.
These conversations all lack the key to unlocking ethical, common good policies: humanity. Too often, we forget that the United States is the sum of its people. Our different backgrounds, experiences, languages and cultures give this country strength and foundation. We, The People, are a multitude.
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