The Excerpt podcast: Could evangelical Christian women advance immigration reform?
On today's episode of The Excerpt podcast: The bipartisan immigration bill with aid for both Ukraine and Israel appears to be DOA. Could evangelical Christian women hold the key to compromise on immigration reform? USA TODAY Border and Immigration Reporter Lauren Villagran explains. Storms move on from California after flooding the state. King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer. USA TODAY National Correspondent Trevor Hughes discusses a segment of Republicans who say they won't vote for Donald Trump. The Education Department is stepping in over FAFSA delays and tech issues.
Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.
Podcasts: True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here
Taylor Wilson:
Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson, and today is February 6th, 2024. This is The Excerpt. Today, how some evangelical Christian women are rethinking immigration. Plus we have the latest from California storms, and King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer.
♦
A group of bipartisan senators revealed a proposal Sunday targeting America's southern border and pivotal foreign aid. At the border the agreement would expand detention and speed up humanitarian asylum programs. It would also make it harder for people to qualify for asylum. It would create a pathway to citizenship for documented dreamers or children who first came to the US with their parents under a work visa. Border proposals were paired with billions in funding for various US allies. The deal has the backing of President Joe Biden, democratic Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer and Republican minority leader Senator Mitch McConnell. On the other hand, Republican House speaker Mike Johnson and former President Donald Trump have openly rejected the bill.
♦
Meanwhile, as the border debate heats up, a small but growing group of evangelical Christian women are rethinking issues around immigration. I spoke with USA Today Border and immigration reporter Lauren Villagran to learn more. Lauren, good to have you on The Excerpt today.
Lauren Villagran:
Yeah, thanks Taylor.
Taylor Wilson:
So Lauren, can you start by telling us a bit about Carla Cochran and this spiritual calling she felt related to the border?
Lauren Villagran:
I had the opportunity to visit with a woman who identifies as a conservative evangelical Christian from rural Texas who experienced a epiphany a few years ago in which she felt that God was calling her to the US Mexico border to serve asylum seekers. When she experienced this epiphany, she went and she talked to her friends and family, and she was shocked by the response. They weren't immediately excited for her. And she, like many evangelical women who may question the dominant narratives around the border, are running into resistance in their own communities.
Taylor Wilson:
And what kinds of resistance are we talking about?
Lauren Villagran:
Look, Ms. Cochrane lives in deep red Texas. The county where she lives is predominantly Republican. The county went more than 70% for Trump in 2016. And as you know, and as listeners know, former President Trump has had a very hard line take on the border, often uses very inflammatory language. And this very small but growing movement among evangelical women to maybe come at the issue from a perspective of compassion is seen as somewhat radical in some of these communities. Ms. Cochrane ended up finding an online community called Women of Welcome, which is sponsored by World Relief, which is a Christian aid organization and the National Immigration Forum, which builds itself as a moderate nonpartisan group looking at opportunities for immigration reform.
Taylor Wilson:
This group is reluctant to get political. And Reverend Gabrielle Salguero, president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition said that's frustrating some Latino evangelicals who have been active advocates for years. Can you talk more about that?
Lauren Villagran:
Yeah, it's really interesting. I think in this particular evangelical community of women, there's some reluctance to get politically active in part because the issue has become so toxic. They see, even talking about immigration through a lens of compassion is already a big step forward. But as you mentioned, there are other evangelical groups, including Latino evangelicals who have been working for decades on immigration reform. In part because in some Latino communities, there are families of mixed status who would be directly and immediately affected if there was a mass deportation as former President Trump has promised on the Republican primary campaign trail.
Taylor Wilson:
And Bri Stensrud from Women of Welcome said that compassionate minded evangelical Christians could find some common ground with progressives on issues in what she called the sanctity of life category. Lauren, what does she mean by this?
Lauren Villagran:
Bri Stensrud is the director of the Women of Welcome Group. Her perspective and one that I think some of the other evangelical Christian women share is that if you're going to be pro-life, you need to be whole life is the way they describe it. This idea that we could discuss some ways of securing the border that also treat people humanely.
Taylor Wilson:
Lauren, it's an election year. We've talked a lot about how immigration could play a role this election cycle here on the show. Could this segment of evangelicals make a difference, play a role in the 2024 election?
Lauren Villagran:
Political analyst and others will say that it's unlikely that any one group within the broader community of folks who identify as evangelical is going to have any real impact on the presidential election. The short answer is no. I think the more complex answer is generating these kinds of nuanced discussions. Could that move the needle on the way Americans feel about some of these issues longer term?
Taylor Wilson:
All right, Lauren Villagran covers the border and immigration for USA Today. Thank you, Lauren.
Lauren Villagran:
Thanks Taylor.
♦
Taylor Wilson:
The tail end of a massive storm in California continued swamping the state yesterday. The latest rough weather centered on the Los Angeles area where 1.4 million people were under a flash flood warning and up to 10 inches of rain fell in some areas. In San Diego, an evacuation warning was issued for low-lying flood prone areas. And a flood watch for San Diego County was in effect until today. AccuWeather estimates the preliminary economic loss from the California storms this week to fall between nine and $11 billion. After battering the golden state, the storm's moisture will next fuel snow across the west and heavy rain in the desert southwest over the next few days, according to forecasters.
♦
King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer. Buckingham Palace said in a statement that during his recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue was noted, an additional test confirmed a form of cancer. The palace said, "His majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public facing duties. Throughout this period, his majesty will continue to undertake state business and official paperwork as usual." Prince William is expected to step into a heavier role during his father's illness. The Prince of Wales, who is first in line to the throne, has already taken on more responsibilities after his father sought treatment for his enlarged prostate last month. And his wife, Princess Kate, postponed her appearances at royal events until Easter while she recovers from abdominal surgery. Meanwhile, Prince Harry plans on traveling to London in the coming days to visit his father.
♦
A number of Republicans around the country say they won't vote for the party's likely nominee Donald Trump, but they're conflicted about what else to do. I spoke with USA Today, national correspondent Trevor Hughes for more. Trevor, thanks for hopping on The Excerpt today.
Trevor Hughes:
Hey there, good to be here.
Taylor Wilson:
So Trevor, would you start by just telling us about Becky Edwards, Krista Kafer and Jennifer Horn, what's their experience around political support or lack thereof for Donald Trump?
Trevor Hughes:
These are women who find themselves in a position where they are Republicans but do not feel they can bring themselves to vote for the former president. In many cases, and I've talked to lots of folks about this, there's this sense among some Republicans that although former President Trump will likely be the nominee, they just can't support him for a wide variety of reasons.
Taylor Wilson:
Yeah. And how important will the moderate vote be for Trump to win a general election later this year if he does get nominated? How did he do with these voters also, Trevor, last election when he lost to President, Joe Biden?
Trevor Hughes:
When it comes to presidential elections, you really have to hold onto your base and then grab as many of those independents or unaffiliated voters as you can. And what we've seen is that President Trump has done a fantastically good job of locking down the base, those most conservative Republicans, and you've seen the party apparatus fall in line behind him. Governor's endorsements, endorsements from US senators. But the challenge is that in order to win, he needs all of the Republicans, including those people who consider themselves perhaps a compassionate conservative, someone who is socially liberal but fiscally conservative. And that's the challenge is if he can't keep those folks in the fold, it's going to be much, much harder for him to win this election.
Taylor Wilson:
Yeah. And in speaking with never Trump, as we mentioned a few of them, what are their core issues with Trump, Trevor, and what do they plan on doing if we see this Biden Trump rematch that's largely expected later this year, will they go with Biden, a third party or someone else?
Trevor Hughes:
It's important to remember that you can't put everyone in a neat little box. And so for some folks it was the January 6th insurrection. For some folks, it is this belief that the former president is not actually fiscally conservative and presided over massive spending increases. And then for other folks, it's just this general attack on democracy that they see him posing. And so some of them say that they would vote for a third party candidate if that was possible. Some of them are really hoping that Nikki Haley stays in the race to provide that alternative. And there are other folks who quietly say, well, maybe I just won't vote. Although statistically speaking, that ends up not happening. People end up picking one of the other.
Taylor Wilson:
And Trevor just trying to look at some of the election math potentially a few months out, if these folks do vote third party in big numbers, would that help Biden or Trump more?
Trevor Hughes:
That's a good question, to which I don't know the answer. I will tell you that in 2016, we saw a large number of third party voters, but those third party voters voted for people who were alternatives to Hillary Clinton. President Trump won that race. In 2020 there were far fewer third party voters. And of the people who had voted third party in 2016, most of them ultimately voted for Biden in 2020. So I can't say with any certainty because that's why we hold these elections, but third party candidates can really change the dynamics of a race.
Taylor Wilson:
Trevor Hughes, great insight. He's a national correspondent for USA Today. Thank you Trevor.
Trevor Hughes:
Glad to be here.
♦
Taylor Wilson:
After another delay with the Education Department's rollout of changes to the college financial aid system, officials are trying to help colleges adapt. The agency said yesterday that it will soon send dozens of experts to under-resourced institutions. The department will also set up a financial aid concierge service for schools to contact for help. And crucially, over the next few months, the agency will disperse $50 million to nonprofits for additional tech support. The department emphasized that the additional help will accelerate its ongoing work to debug the new FAFSA. Officials said they remain confident that all students applying for financial aid will receive what they need to attend college, despite glitches that remain unresolved.
♦
And the Nevada presidential primaries are today. But on the Republican side, this election is non-binding and does not decide who will receive the party's delegates. Instead, a caucus organized by the GOP will take place on Thursday. You can follow along with all the latest on USAtoday.com.
♦
And thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can get the podcast wherever you get your audio, and if you use a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt. I'm Taylor Wilson, back tomorrow with more of The Excerpt from USA Today.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Excerpt podcast: Can Christian women advance immigration reform?
