Miguel De La Torre, the son of an undocumented immigrant and now a U.S. citizen and a professor of Christian ethics, seeks to develop a constructive conversation on immigration by examining significant issues and by presenting first-person accounts of the experiences of immigration. De La Torre's goal is to initiate a civil conversation that can replace the politics of fear that now dominates discussions of immigration.
Each of seven sections (Borders, Economics, Myths, Family Values, the Politics of Fear, Christian Perspectives, Ethical Responses) opens with an examination of an issue and then includes a story or testimony by an undocumented immigrant, a story by someone who works with the undocumented, and a poem, prayer, or a song that expresses the hope and the terror involved in crossing the border. This combination of analysis, story, and artistic expression opens up the complexities of immigration for undergraduates and for all Christians.