Midwives of Justice: A Call for Sanctuary - by Anton Flores

REPOSTING essay from Casa Alterna: Love Crosses Borders blog (1/22/25) written by Anton Flores.
Midwives of Justice: A Call for Sanctuary
Posted on January 22, 2025 by Anton
In the biblical book of Exodus, the Israelites, once favored in Egypt, found themselves enslaved under a new Pharaoh who feared their growing numbers. Pharaoh ordered the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, to kill all male babies. Instead, they defied Pharaoh, protecting the children and fearing God over human authority. The midwives’ courageous acts saved lives, and even though they defied human authority—or perhaps because they did—God blessed them. Below is a tale inspired by the Hebrew midwives but made for our times.
A cautionary tale
In 2025, after years of division and controversy, President Trump returned to office despite impeachments, scandals, and convictions. His campaign, promising a “stronger, tougher America,” vilified immigrants, and politicians worked in lockstep with the harsh edicts of the commander-in-chief.
Trump’s rhetoric grew more ominous: “There are too many immigrants. They’re taking jobs. If we’re not careful, they’ll outnumber us and side with our enemies when things get tough.” He then revealed his genuine fear: “They’ll leave our farms and construction sites, taking everything they’ve gained. We can’t let that happen. We need to control them—bigly.”
The Trump administration issued a heartless directive: “Detain every immigrant boy—every single one. Even those born here—strip them of their citizenship and separate them from their families! The girls can stay, but the boys? No way! We’re going to unleash hell to restore America’s greatness.”
But a movement of defiance, rooted in faith and justice, arose nationwide. People of faith opened their churches, homes, and basements to offer sanctuary, defying Homeland Security’s orders to protect immigrant families with the same resolve as Shiphrah and Puah did against Pharaoh.
“These immigrants are too resourceful,” Shiphrah and Puah calmly, but with resolve, told Trump’s taskmasters. “By the time we arrive, they’ve already gone.” Others caught wind of these women’s acts, and nonviolent resistance spread as faith leaders, labor groups, activists, and immigrants built alliances. Sanctuary networks flourished, protests erupted, and communities united against oppressive policies.
Our Shiphrah and Puah moment
This crossroad in history is our Shiphrah and Puah moment—now is the time for our faith and love to rise up against fearmongers. If Shiphrah and Puah could resist oppression and inspire others, we too can act with great love and do likewise in this moment.
At Casa Alterna, we hope our work mirrors the defiance of Shiphrah and Puah. To that end, in the coming months and years, we plan to pivot in such a way that defends the vulnerable and resists complicity with injustice. Some of the new ways we hope to channel the holy resistance of our dear sisters and ancestors, Shiphrah and Puah, include:
- Volunteers visiting the long lines outside Atlanta’s immigration court to notify those in the deportation pipeline about our free hospitality and offer of support and accompaniment during hearings and check-ins with deportation officers.
- Faith leaders working to persuade Greyhound to allow for a volunteer chaplaincy program at their station to offer spiritual companionship and hospitality when needed.
- Partnering with Atlanta organizations and attorneys to ensure 100% of our long-term residents have full legal representation and case management services.
- Growing Casa Alterna’s Radical Hospitality Collective, a small, multi-state network of families and congregations offering shelter, safety, and support to asylum seekers and immigrants in their places of worship and even in their own homes.
- Offering learning opportunities, like immigrant justice walking tours, presentations, and delegations.

Let’s awaken the spirit of Shiphrah and Puah. Now is the time for people of all faiths to carry out works of mercy and justice, to bear witness to the dignity and humanity of those seeking refuge. In the face of overwhelming power and fear, a defiant love crosses borders. This is our Shiphrah and Puah moment: a time to resist injustice, embody love, and offer sanctuary.
Let’s offer radical hospitality and resist oppression until we reach the Promised Land.
Essay by Anton Flores-Maisonet
Photographs by Steve Pavey (stevepavey.com / www.hopeinfocus.net)