Steven Eng, advocacy director of the National Association of Evangelicals, works with NAE leaders, constituents and others to help advance the principles of the NAE document, “For the Health of the Nation,” as they use their God-given influence to bless our nation. Eng served for three decades as an ordained evangelical pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church. He received a degree in political science from St. Olaf College and a M.Div. degree from North Park Theological Seminary.
On a recent trip to the South Texas-Mexico border, I joined a team from Border Perspective, a ministry based in the Twin Cities that mobilizes people of faith to engage the border from a biblical perspective.
The trip included crossing the border into Mexico at two locations, Matamoros and Reynosa, and conversations with officials from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, the City of Brownsville, the Catholic Charities Respite Center in McAllen, Texas, and others. In Mexico we spoke with those seeking asylum in the U.S. from throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, and beyond. While U.S. officials struggle with surges along various border sectors, we were struck by how quiet and orderly processes were in the Rio Grande Valley — and by the large percentage fleeing persecution or violence.