Today on Stateside, a federal judge in Detroit has ordered the government to release more than 100 Iraqi nationals, many of them Chaldean Christians. They were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement nearly a year-and-a-half ago. We get reaction from a leader in Michigan's Chaldean-American community. Plus, religious communities have a long history of offering support and asylum to refugees, but that seems to be changing among some white Christians.
Listen to the full show above or find individual segments below.
Michigan Chaldean-American leader reacts to judge’s release order for Iraqi detainees
- Martin Manna heads the Chaldean Community Foundation and the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce. He weighs in on a federal judge's decision ordering the release of Iraqi nationalswho have been awaiting deportation in jail for more than a year. Many of those detained are Chaldean Christians, a religious minority in Iraq.
Drug Enforcement Agency opens Traverse City office to help fight opioid epidemic
- The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will soon be opening a new office in Traverse City. Timothy Plancon is the special agent in charge of the DEA’s Detroit field division. He joined Stateside to talk about why the DEA made this decision, and how he hopes the office will address some of the most pressing drug abuse problems in Northern Michigan.
Detroit Mixtape: New music from Sufjan Stevens, Tunde Olaniran, and Tee Grizzley
- Paul Young is the founder and publisher of Detroit Music Magazine. Young updated us on the latest in Michigan music, including Sufjan Stevens’ not-so-brand new song “Lonely Man of Winter,” Tunde Olaniran’s new album Stranger, and Tee Grizzley’s new mixtape Still My Moment.
Why white Christians' support for refugees is declining
- Stephanie Nawyn is an associate professor of sociology at Michigan State University, and co-director of the Center for Gender in Global Context. She joined Stateside to talk about her recent piece in The Conversation, which examines the long history of American religious communities welcoming people seeking refuge from oppression, and the conservative Christian circles that have begun shifting away from that practice.
Why some schools and parents support sending kids to school on the “balanced calendar”
- David Hornak is the superintendent of Holt Public Schools, and Kellie Flaminio is a parent with two children enrolled in Holt schools. Both share their perspectives on the district's "balanced calendar" schedule. Instead of a three-month long summer break, students on a balanced calendar schedule get six weeks off during summer, and then longer breaks at other times, like Thanksgiving and winter breaks.
A Minute with Mike: The legend of the Lions gambler
- As the Lions continue to prepare to take the field for their Thanksgiving classic, Stateside producer Mike Blank takes a moment to ponder one of the greatest cultural gifts the Lions have given to Michigan culture.
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