Rev. Phil Woodson

Beware of any Christian movement that demands the government be an instrument of God's wrath but never a source of God's charity, mercy, or compassion.

Whether or not this "officially" happened, I still have family members, and other relations that have embraced this apocalyptic mindset. From holding an upside down Bible, to his bleeding ear, to Mike Huckabee and the movement of the embassy... They've all had tickets for this train ride for a while

Do not trust, support, or follow any religious leader or other authority that proclaims war is a pathway to prophetic fulfillment. That road leads only to death & damnation. Jesus didn’t teach us to look at the world and hope it burns. He taught us to love the people in it. All of them.

When civil authority polices identity in ways that produce humiliation, exclusion, or harm, it departs from the biblical vision of justice. Christians cannot be indifferent when the government assumes the power to define our neighbors in ways that diminish their full participation in public life.

Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?

“The children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this may be incapable of morality.” -James Baldwin "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed." -Proverbs 31:8

“The children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this may be incapable of morality.” -James Baldwin

Love your neighbor.
Love your enemy.

ME: Lord, I just pray that you send a hedge of protection.

GOD: Say less.

It’s all idolatry. All of it.

I used to wonder how people could could have been entertained by kicking a tin can or rolling a hoop with a stick down the road - but this morning, I watched my own children take an extra 10 minutes to simply walk to school because of a game they made up with a rock.

I get it now.

As a Kansan (for almost three years), part of my support for the people of Minnesota is this:

Even though I grew up in Virginia, I learned by heart - at a rather impressionable age - that territory folks should stick together. We’re pals.

Just confirmed that a meeting was canceled. There is no greater joy.

Amen.

If what we are trying to accomplish requires cruelty, perhaps we need to take a look at what we are trying to accomplish.

#true

These are not abstract numbers. They describe real people, real time, and real conditions. We can get lost arguing about individual encounters and isolated decisions, but the deeper questions are simpler: What is this system doing, and why?

Where to find this info:
Document – FY 2025 ICE Statistics
Sheet – Vulnerable & Special Population
Table: (Scroll down to view the different data for each quarter/year)

www.ice.gov/doclib/deten...

ICE’s own data shows that in early 2022, individuals identified as 'vulnerable' spent an average of about 2 weeks separated from the general detention population. By the end of 2025, the average length of segregation for these same 'vulnerable' peoples had quadrupled, increasing to 2 months.

... are engaged in a hunger strike, or are considered at heightened risk of harm in the general detention population, including due to how others may perceive their sexual orientation, gender expression, appearance, or behavior.”

Item 3) Vulnerable and special populations with the ICE detention system are being segregated (isolated) for longer periods of time. ICE defines vulnerable and special populations to include individuals who “have a serious mental or medical illness, are on suicide watch...

Where to find this info:
Document – FY 2025 ICE Statistics & FY 2026 ICE Statistics
Sheet – ICLOS and Detainees
Table: Adult Facility Aliens by Length of Stay

1) www.ice.gov/doclib/deten...

2) www.ice.gov/doclib/deten...

By December 2025, that number had grown to about 62,000. Additionally, From January to December 2025, the number of adults held over six months but under one year doubled while the number of adults detained for one to two years tripled.

Item 2) ICE isn’t just detaining more people, it’s keeping them far longer than before. What used to be measured in weeks is now measured in months and years. Throughout 2024, ICE typically held about 28,000–33,000 adults in facilities for six months or less.

Where to find this info:
Document – FY 2025 Ice Statistics
Sheet - Detention FY25
Table: ICE Currently Detained by Criminality and Arresting Agency

www.ice.gov/doclib/deten...

Detention is often justified as “keeping dangerous people off the streets” but the data does not support that claim. Less than 3 in 10 detainees are convicted criminals and nearly half are detained solely for immigration violations.

Item 1) Many people locked up by ICE are not criminals. Apparently, a large number of people in ICE detention have never been convicted of a crime. Others are there for things that could be as simple as traffic violations or immigration paperwork issues - not violence.

There is far more in these files than what I list here, but these are three things that stood out clearly to me. I welcome feedback, corrections, or additional insights. The data is public and the link is right there - take a look for yourself.

In trying to navigate through the current national conversation about what’s going on with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) , I thought taking a look at the data from their own website would be helpful. Scroll to the bottom to find the Excel sheets: www.ice.gov/detain/deten...

Harry Potter sits beside his godfather, Sirius Black, inside a dim room at the train station before Harry returns to Hogwarts. Sirius leans in, speaking quietly and intently to Harry, who listens with concern. White on-screen text quotes Sirius as saying, “It feels like it did before…”.

Vibes.

two cartoon characters are standing in front of a door and one of them is saying out out out Alt: A scene from Disney’s cartoon “Robin Hood” in which Friar tuck pushes the evil sheriff of Nottingham out of the church by his belly. Friar tuck is shouting “Out! Out! Out!”

We’re gonna make it… too many clergy grew up with the extraordinary witness of the blessed Friar Tuck.