More than 30 faith leaders from across North Texas met outside the Kessler Park United Methodist Church in Dallas on Monday afternoon.

The press conference was organized by Faith Commons, an interfaith organization founded in 2018 that promotes the “common good” by addressing issues that affect society and culture.

Monday’s press conference was to take a public stance on immigration and the removal process of migrants under the Trump Administration.

“People need to have the opportunity to defend themselves and to have a defense with a lawyer and in a court of law,” Dr. George Mason, founder of Faith Commons said. “But when you are (prematurely) convicted and claim to be called a criminal before you even have the opportunities to defend yourself, that’s just inexcusable in our country.”

Mason and those gathered in support called for the community and other leaders of faith to recognize that holding government leaders and immigration agencies accountable.

“Beyond the question of what is legal is the question of what is moral. And for us, that means treating every human being with absolute dignity and respect and recognizing that when our language dehumanizes people in various ways, it diminishes all us,” Mason said. “We want to elevate the language and the humanity of this conversation to begin with. Then we want to recognize that every person is owed due process in this country. And when people are being rounded up and deported without due process, that violates not only our American law, but also our spiritual values.”

According to Amreena Hussain, the vice president of the Indian American Muslims Council Dallas Chapter, people in her community have voiced fears of traveling.

”My husband is actually in India right now. His father has passed away and his travel has been a source of great anxiety for us,” Hussain said. “There’s also a deep fear about almost what it feels like, extra-judicial. Detentions at this point without due process, so there’s definitely that that we’re affected by.”

This comes as President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order that is aimed to identify non-compliant cities and states. A list of sanctuary cities and states, according to the Trump administration, could be created within the month.

“To hear from those leaders saying that we as a church, or we as a mosque, or we at the temple have your back, and we’re ready to put in the fight for you, that means a lot to people,” Hussain said. “Part of being a person of faith is to not be quiet in times of injustice and that matters a lot.”

The group made reference to the migrants detained inside the ICE Bluebonnet Detention Facility in Anson, which currently houses Venezuelans at risk of deportation. The migrants, in many cases, have been flagged for their tattoos and accused of ties to the Tren de Aragua gang.

The facility is at the center of a Supreme Court ruling on deportation. Last Saturday, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked deportations of Venezuelans under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.

“Let’s not just make them symbols of something. They matter as individuals,” Mason said. “And when people have been detained, and when we don’t know where they are, they have been disappeared, then we have to be relentless in demanding to know where they are. Because they matter to God and they matter to all of us in our communities.”

The interfaith leaders will meet again on Friday to determine dates for prayer vigils that are to be held outside of the Dallas ICE Office in an effort to push for the fair treatment of immigrants.

This team just finds way to win.

For the third straight game, the No. 1 Texas Longhorns were only separated from the Texas A&M Aggies by one run in a 6-5 comeback victory on Sunday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field to sweep the series for the fifth time in SEC play.

Moving to 19-2 in conference, the Longhorns have a five-game lead over the Razorbacks, next week’s opponent in Fayetteville, thanks to a go-ahead, wind-aided home run in the eighth inning by freshman left fielder Adrian Rodriguez.

With the wind blowing out of the south at 14 miles per hour, Rodriguez put the ball into the jet stream at 46 degrees off the bat and it cleared the 340-foot wall down the left-field line, traveling just 345 feet.

The big fly from Rodriguez capped a day of comebacks for Texas, which fell behind 2-0 in the first inning and 4-2 in the fourth inning.

Texas A&M jumped out to a quick lead by capitalizing on poor command from Texas freshman right-hander Jason Flores in his second weekend start. Flores has had trouble with hitting batters, entering the game with 11 on the season in 28.0 innings, but had only walked four. That streak ended on Sunday when Flores issued two one-out walks on only nine pitches.

The “dominate the zone” approach by Longhorns pitching coach Max Weiner was put into perspective when Flores allowed a double and a single as the Aggies took a 2-0 lead before Flores responded with two strikeouts.

The big freshman departed the game without recording an out in the second inning after two more walks on nine pitches, forcing senior right-hander Andre Duplantier into the game.

Duplantier escaped the jam and went on to throw 68 pitches over 5.2 innings, the longest outing and the most pitches Duplantier has thrown since an appearance against Sam Houston in 2022. The 6’2, 235-pounder allowed three runs on four hits, including a two-run double in the fourth inning and a game-tying home run in the seventh inning.

It wasn’t perfect, but the remarkable, lengthy performance by Duplantier not only kept the Longhorns in the game, it set up the bullpen to finish it.

Sophomore left-hander Ethan Walker made this third appearance of the year to retire left-handed batter Kaeden Kent to end the seventh, junior right-hander Grayson Saunier worked around two singles to open the eighth inning with some help from senior first baseman Kimble Schuessler, who fielded an attempted sacrifice bunt and cut down the lead runner at third. Saunier retired the next two batters to escape the jam.

More trouble awaited the Ole Miss transfer in the ninth in the form of a one-out single and a full-count walk that forced junior right-hander Max Grubbs into the game to save it. Schuessler again played a big role defensively, starting a 3-6-1 double play that ended the game as Grubbs recorded his fifth save of the season.

Rodriguez was a catalyzing force at the bottom of the lineup for the Longhorns, going 3-for-3 with a double in addition to his home run, three RBI, two runs, and a walk.

The double by the former A&M signee scored the first run for Texas in the bottom of the third before sophomore designated hitter Ethan Mendoza drove in Rodriguez with a sacrifice fly.

In the sixth, Schuessler scored on a wild pitch and junior catcher Rylan Galvan drove in two more runs with a single to center field to beat a shift.

Galvan finished 2-for-4 with the two RBI and a walk.

The four-game homestand for Texas ends on Tuesday against Prairie View A&M.

Time’s wasting

A large swath of our education system is failing too many students. If public schools are not achieving appropriate standards, rather than expending energy on disagreeing with and protesting “school choice” or homeschooling, channel it toward just fixing the problem! But wait — that requires admitting there’s a problem and instigating changes. Ignoring the problem won’t make it go away.

Our education system was once the envy of the world. Sadly, over the years, expectations and standards have been lowered, while proficiency outcomes have declined. Wow, who could’ve seen that coming? Evidently no one.

If public schools were great, no one would be seeking alternatives. Truth is, far too many schools are less than adequate, and parents rightly should be all over the educational community to improve.

Throwing more money at the problem is not the answer. The solution has two parts: committed parents wanting their kids to succeed, and a far-reaching change in the culture of the educational community.

My humble advice to lawmakers, teachers and administrators is to simply admit there’s a problem, take accountability and then get to work on solving it right now. Time’s a-wastin’.

B.R. Allen, Aubrey

Violating Texas Constitution

Re: “House OKs ‘school choice’ — $1B plan allows Texans to use state dollars to fund private education,” April 18 news story.

Only those accepted by a private school can receive a voucher, so whose choice is it? The bill that passed the Texas Legislature created taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools, even religious schools. Both points violate the Texas Constitution.

Dinah Miller, Dallas/Prestonwood

Despite constituents’ wishes

Well, the voucher bill passed, not that it was the right thing to do. It seems our elected officials no longer represent their constituents because this bill would not have passed they did.

Powerful money has infiltrated our common sense and civic duty — a governor who paid to get certain loyalists elected who he knew would pass his agenda. This was not the people’s choice. It was Big Money’s (politicians’) choice.

It should be against the law to do such a thing. In fact, I wonder if it isn’t? The Texas Constitution maintains in Article 7, Sec.1 “It shall be the duty of the Legislature of the State to establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free schools.” No mention of private schools!

Also, check out Article 7, Sec. 3a, “Taxes for Benefit of Schools.” In essence, it seems to me, our Legislature has violated the state Constitution.

Now our tax dollars will give people who can well afford their children’s private education a big break while diminishing funding for public schools where the majority of children will still be attending. Our public schools have been undermined and I believe students will suffer.

Pat Reinecker, Bedford

Our better natures

Texas is headed for “school choice,” all the positives and negatives having been laid bare. Some want the nation to follow suit.

Questions: Is this not an admission by local, state and federal government of abject failure to provide adequate public education despite throwing huge amounts of public funds toward it? Is it not where the larger part of my ever-increasing property taxes go?

Has not the vaunted lottery system making a miniscule number of instant millionaires rescued public education with its promised funding? Have our public servants failed to enact relevant, viable firearms legislation to avoid turning public schools into battlegrounds with armed guards, metal detectors and security rivalling the TSA at airports?

Change is inevitable — too many of us, too many choices every moment. Entertainment and recognition are our new gods to escape reality.

All knowledge is accessible at the tap of a finger making study obsolete. Thanks to social media, whether real or fictitious, we love a good scandal and have several to choose from each day.

I realize this is a dark view but believe it factual and accurate. Hopefully, our better natures will surface and regain the soul of America.

Ted M. Moore, Dallas/Preston Hollow

Not business-friendly

April 17 will be remembered as the day the Texas Legislature decided to pull the rug out from under its public education system. The billionaires who bankrolled the vouchers campaign probably fancy themselves as business-friendly, but corporations considering a move to Texas will have a different perspective.

They will see a robust economy, rich enough to fund an innovative public education system, that has chosen instead to subsidize the parents who want out of it. They’ll recognize this as a vote of no confidence for education and a preference for indoctrination. That’s not a business-friendly strategy.

Garry Potts, Dallas

Betraying students

This letter is for Shelly Luther, District 62 representative.

The Texas Legislature, of which you are a member, is voting into law the “school choice” legislation which essentially takes money away from public schools and gives it to private schools. Public schools are the backbone of Texas, and your Legislature has gutted them.

I wrote to you on your election victory night last November. You wrote back almost immediately. I brought up school vouchers. This is when you boasted you were a public school teacher, and I felt you knew what the consequences were of such a vote.

By voting for “school choice,” you and your fellow legislators have betrayed generations of Texas students, who will have less of an educational experience than your students had when you were teaching. In reality, over the long term, there will be teacher shortages, lack of facilities and virtually no resources for students.

And the families who can already afford private schools will just have a subsidy from the state to do what they were already doing: sending their children to private school.

You have betrayed millions of Texas students. How does that feel? How does the former teacher in you feel? Will future considerations make up for it? Is it worth it?

Dwayne Wilder, Denison