June 17 is commemoration of the martyrdom of the Emanuel 9—the nine people shot and killed on June 17, 2015, during a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C.

ELCA Congregations are encourgaed to host a remembrance during their Sunday service following June 15th or 22nd.

As we prepare to wrap up this journey along the Border, I find myself deeply moved by what we have seen, heard, and carried this past week. The words that stay with me are resilience and dedication.

Resilience in the migrant community.

Resilience among the workers who care for refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers.

Resilience in the face of disappointment, and the hope that continues to live on, even when the work might shift to new locations like Ciudad Juárez or other borderland communities in Mexico.

The work will still be there.

And the hope never dies.

On Thursday, we began our day meeting with a gentleman who has spent decades in this work. He shared with us the “push and pull” dynamics of the immigration system—how the influx we see is not accidental, but a result of both our actions and our inactions. He invited us to dwell in the uncomfortable but necessary truth: that we in the U.S. have played a role in the systemic harm that continues to afflict many Latin American nations. And, that we as Christians have often failed to resist the forces of Christian nationalism, failing to live out the Matthew 25 call to serve the least of these.

It was hard to hear. But I couldn’t agree more.

In many of our congregations, pastors have been afraid to “poke the bear.”

But the time for silence has passed. It is time to lead—with humility, but also with courage—and to reclaim our prophetic voices.

That afternoon, we heard from two women working within the legal system. One especially moved me as she named and remembered trans women who died in ICE custody. In an era of heightened violence against our transgender siblings, it was powerful to hear their names spoken aloud—to remember them, to honor them. She shared how common colds left untreated turned to pneumonia, how preventable diseases became death sentences in the cold, crowded holding cells.

Later, a public health advocate spoke about the challenges of healthcare access in the Borderlands. She told us about pregnant women navigating rural health deserts and border checkpoints—of the immense barriers that exist simply to receive basic care.

On Friday, we heard from two more women. One, with federal immigration experience, shared stories of family separation and the current state of U.S. immigration policy. A tension I’m still wrestling with is the role of Latine individuals in systems of enforcement—Border Patrol, Marshals, local police—and the internal struggle that journalist Maria Hinojosa has described in her own reporting.

The final speaker reminded me of my own abuela. She spoke about the trust she has built over a lifetime—working with city officials, CEOs, and powerful people—not for power’s sake, but to open doors for others. She reminded me of the quiet, faithful legacy of my own family: the tireless work to ensure neighbors were welcomed, cared for, included. A legacy of mutual aid and radical hospitality.

From everyone we met, I heard their heart, their passion, their conviction. And I witnessed the deep, holy work of re-humanizing those who have been dehumanized by a narrative of fear and hate, by both parties, by policy, and by public rhetoric.

We are complicit.

But we are not powerless.

We can tell these stories.

We can witness to the truth.

We can offer a different vision, a humanized AND faithful vision, of the borderlands.

What I experienced at the border was not chaos or fear.

It was peace.

It was hope.

In the birds flying back and forth across an invisible line.

In the traffic, indistinguishable from one side to the other.

In the faces of those I met, whose names I carry now.

There is hope for change.

And I hope to bring more people here to experience it.

So stay tuned.

So, where do we go from here? We tell the truth. We share the stories. We speak the names. We lead with humility and courage. We confront the systems that dehumanize, even when they’re close to home, even when it’s uncomfortable. The work doesn’t end at the border. It continues in our churches, our communities, our hearts. My hope is that more of us will come and see, that more of us will show up, not just at the border, but in the daily, ordinary ways we stand with our neighbors. The invitation is open. The time is now. Let’s not turn away.

Amen.

With you on the Journey,

Rev. Paul Larson

Thank you, Governor Lombardo for signing SB 421, which would ensure access to the voting booth on Tribal Lands.

Thank you, Governor Lombardo for signing AB 161 into law.

AB 82 – This bill requires the Governor of Nevada to annually proclaim certain days as “Diwali Day,” “Eid al-Fitr Day,” “Vaisakhi Day,” and “Vesak Day” in the state. These proclamations recognize these specific cultural and religious observances.

AB 98 – This bill requires the Governor of Nevada to annually proclaim April 10 as “Dolores Huerta Day” to honor her contributions, in line with existing law that sets certain days of observance to commemorate important persons or occasions.

AB 144 – This bill instead establishes  the  second  Monday  in  October  as  “Indigenous  Peoples  Day” instead of August 9th.

AB 201 – This bill expands the automatic sealing of eviction case court files by allowing tenants to request sealing if the landlord does not oppose it or if an appeal is resolved in specific ways. Additionally, it creates a rebuttable presumption that sealing is in the interests of justice if a motion is filed more than one year after the eviction order. This change aims to provide greater tenant protections while balancing public interest considerations.

AB 223 – This bill introduces several changes to the relationship between landlords and tenants, including expanded tenant rights to terminate rental agreements without penalty if the landlord fails to maintain a habitable dwelling, requirements for landlords to accept multiple forms of rent payment, and increased tenant protections in cases of utility interruptions or safety concerns. It also revises the amount tenants can recover for unlawful acts by landlords and establishes procedures for expedited legal relief in disputes over unaddressed maintenance issues.

AB 237 – This bill removes the population requirement, allowing any county, regardless of size, to create the office of registrar of voters and appoint individuals to the position, granting them the powers and duties of the county clerk regarding elections.

AB 244 – This bill removes the population requirement, allowing any county, regardless of size, to create the office of registrar of voters and appoint individuals to the position, granting them the powers and duties of the county clerk regarding elections.

AB 245 – This bill makes it a gross misdemeanor for individuals under 21 to possess or control semiautomatic shotguns or semiautomatic centerfire rifles, with penalties for those who knowingly permit minors under 21 to handle such firearms. It also strengthens storage requirements and prohibits children aged 14 or older from handling semiautomatic shotguns or centerfire rifles, with specific conditions for storing non-semiautomatic firearms.

AB 278 – This bill designates the month of July of each year as “Muslim American Heritage Month” in the State of Nevada and requires the Governor to issue annually a proclamation encouraging the observance of this month.

AB 280 – This bill enhances rental agreement transparency by requiring a separate appendix detailing all fees, their purposes, and tenant rights. It also mandates fee refunds in certain cases, prohibits application fees for minors, and temporarily caps rent increases for seniors and Social Security recipients between July 2025 and December 2026.

AB 306 – This bill requires county clerks in certain counties to establish designated locations with mail ballot drop boxes for voters to return mail ballots during the period between the end of early voting and the day before the general election. It also ensures that ballots dropped off in these locations are counted and expands the options for voters to have someone return their mail ballot on their behalf.

SB 89 – This bill prohibits individuals who have been convicted within the past 10 years of certain offenses, such as hate crimes or violent crimes motivated by characteristics like race, religion, or sexual orientation, from purchasing, owning, or possessing firearms. It also specifies that each firearm purchase by such a person is a separate violation. Additionally, the bill allows individuals convicted of these offenses before July 1, 2025, to retain firearms they legally owned prior to that date.

SB 93 – Establishes labor standards for the awarding of federal grants by state agencies for broadband development in Nevada. It requires agencies to prioritize applicants who certify they will use a qualified, well-trained workforce and offer high-quality jobs, particularly for underrepresented communities. The bill also mandates that certain applicants must meet safety, training, and wage requirements or be signatories to collective bargaining agreements, and sets provisions for the application of public works laws.

SB 141 – The bill requires county, city, and town jails in Nevada to establish policies for the supervision, care, housing, and medical treatment of transgender, gender non-conforming, gender non-binary, and intersex prisoners, similar to existing state prison regulations. It also authorizes local law enforcement agencies to implement cultural competency training for jail staff to improve interactions with these populations.

SB 167 – This bill prohibits the sale or import of household cleaning products in Nevada if animal testing was conducted on or after January 1, 2030, with some exceptions for regulatory requirements. The prohibition does not apply to products tested before 2030 or manufacturers who use data from prior animal testing. Additionally, violating this provision is considered a deceptive trade practice, subject to civil and criminal penalties.

SB 171 – This bill prohibits health care licensing boards from disqualifying or disciplining providers solely for offering lawful reproductive health care or medically necessary gender-affirming health care services. It also prevents the Governor from extraditing individuals charged in other states for crimes related to providing or assisting with gender-affirming health care services unless the offense is also a crime in Nevada. Additionally, the bill restricts state agencies from aiding investigations or proceedings in other states targeting individuals or entities for providing gender-affirming health care services, with certain exceptions.