A book, and another Trump administration

I turned on the radio while making lunch. And there he was, again, speaking as our president. Trump’s plans for the presidency sound as bad as what he said the last time around. Those dreadful years are back.

While listening to his renewed threats against undocumented neighbors and queer people and the environment (and the Gulf of Mexico?), I heard a knock at the door. A delivery worker left a package on the porch. With Trump’s inaugural speech in my ears, I cut open the padded envelop and found this:

When I finished writing the book in early 2023, I don’t think I thought—with any seriousness—we’d be here again, with Trump in the White House and his tirades against people I care about, his damage of a world I care about.

My book is mostly storytelling, and some theology. I introduce readers to people I’ve found inspiring in their work for immigrant justice. I also attend to the suffering that our anti-immigrant politics have caused—from deaths in the borderlands to the incarceration of migrants.

Here’s a description of the book from the publisher:

Centering the stories of migrants and citizens who have been transformed through their dedication to the work of collective wholeness, Villegas begins each chapter “on the ground” as people organize protests in the streets, offer hospitality in migrant shelters, and share meals in home kitchens. He engages in biblical, theological, and political reflection to elucidate the significance—for our faith and our world—of these sites of collective work. Migrant God is a stirring read for anyone who wants to shift conversations about immigration toward a more holistic Christian vision of life lived in solidarity with migrants.

If you’re interested, here’s a link to pre-order the book: Migrant God.