The media has covered various aspects of the terrorizing methods used to target immigrant communities throughout the country. What is truthful? What is lawful? And how are the faithful called to respond in this moment? How do recent events have the potential to transform the way we live Christianity and how we understand what it means to profess discipleship of Jesus?
In our July Acting for Justice webinar, we heard from three individuals from Los Angeles, at the epicenter of the current crisis. Attorney Linda Dakin-Grimm provides pro bono legal services to unaccompanied children and separated families in immigration proceedings, and acts as counsel to several NGOs in actions against the federal government based on unlawful immigration policies. Dr. Cecilia González-Andrieu will return and share her experiences as an educator accompanying students and families of mixed status, and leader of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the U.S. JFM staff member, Heidi Villaluz, is a ministry leader and native Angeleno, and moderated the conversation.
Resources & Recommendations from the Presenters
Return to our blog page to view Dr. Cecilia González-Andrieu’s previous 2025 presentations and access the resources.
Want to do More? Looking for More Resources?
What does the Bible say about immigration? Why do people migrate? Faith and Immigration Justice guides small groups in exploring questions like these, in order to help churches and individuals discern how their faith calls them to love and act.
Do you want to talk about immigration in your church, but you are nervous about conflict? If so, we created Faith and Immigration Justice just for you! Together, church members can move beyond divisive rhetoric and discern how your common faith invites you to respond to immigrants in your local community and beyond.
Join us on Tuesday, July 22 at 2:30pm ET/11:30am PT to learn more about the Faith and Immigration Justice program. JustFaith Staff Members will provide a brief experience of the program, an overview of the content, general information, and tips for starting the program in your church, organization, or area. Register today!
This session has passed. You can sign up to be notified of upcoming sessions here: https://justfaith.org/resources/newsletter/
About the Presenters:
Linda Dakin-Grimm is a senior consulting partner at Milbank LLP, where she has handled numerous jury and bench trials, appeals and arbitration proceedings in courts across the United States. Commencing in 2016, Ms.Dakin-Grimm concentrated her practice on pro bono immigration matters. Since then, she has taken on more than one hundred unaccompanied children and separated families in immigration proceedings. In addition to the required legal work in immigration and state courts, Ms. Dakin-Grimm acts as counsel to several NGOs in actions against the federal government based on unlawful immigration policies. She is a member of the board of directors of the International Institute of Los Angeles (a refugee agency), the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Southern California Catholic Task Force on Immigration, as well as a trustee of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. She is the author of Dignity and Justice: Welcoming the Stranger at the Border, published by Orbis Press in September 2020. Ms. Dakin-Grimm received her B.A. from Yale University, her J.D. from Harvard Law School and an M.A. in Theology from Loyola Marymount University. She was an Advanced Leadership Fellow at Harin 2020. Welcome Linda.
Theologian Cecilia González-Andrieu is a leading scholar of theological aesthetics, which she proposes as a way to bring communities together, respect and celebrate otherness, and lift the theological insights of those who know and express themselves from the peripheries. She is one of the contributing writers for America magazine, penning a number of significant essays on political theology, Latinx theologies, and women’s issues. Her book Bridge to Wonder: Art as a Gospel of Beauty has received international acclaim. Dr. González -Andrieu teaches in Loyola Marymount University’s Department of Theological Studies, co-chairs the LMU Latino Theology and Ministry Initiative, is an active supporter of the Ignatian Solidarity Network, an advisor for the Discerning Deacons Project. Cecilia was also recently inaugurated as President of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States.
Heidi Villaluz as Director of Communications & Marketing. Heidi was born and raised in Los Angeles, and has served in local Archdiocesan leadership as a member of the Global Solidarity Action Team, the Task Force to Address Racism, and the Steering Committee for the recent Synod process. Her national leadership has included the young adult working group for the Laudato Si’ and the US Catholic Church Conference and organizing legislative action for the state of California as a Coalition Leader for Catholic Relief Services. She serves as a consultant to parishes, faith-based and non-profit organizations, and Archdiocesan offices and initiatives. Heidi received her bachelor’s degree from UCLA, her Master’s from Loyola Marymount University, and was commissioned as a Master Catechist in 2010 by the Archdiocese of LA, where she continues to live and serve today.