Trinity Historian Lauren Turek’s Scholarship Referenced in Supreme Court Brief

A 2021 essay written by Lauren Turek, Ph.D., Trinity University historian, about religious perspectives on asylum and refugees, is cited in an amicus brief to the Supreme Court by a group of religious organizations that are opposed to the way Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, and DHS are treating refugees and asylum seekers. “Turek has been cited prominently in that brief, listed in the Table of Authorities and footnoted alongside sources such as the Bible, the Qur’an, the Upanishads, Livy, St. Augustine, and George Washington,” said Nicole Marafioti, Ph.D., professor and chair of Trinity’s Department of History. 

In her essay, “The Religious Activism Behind U.S. Refugee Policy,” Turek examines the powerful and longstanding role religious organizations have played in shaping U.S. refugee and asylum policy. She explains that faith-based groups have long partnered with the federal government in refugee resettlement efforts. Turek traced religious engagement in refugee advocacy back to post–World War II human rights movements and Cold War politics, when faith communities mobilized in support of displaced populations.

Turek’s essay underscores how religious activism continues to shape contemporary legal and political battles over immigration. Turek notes that her scholarship remains directly relevant to ongoing debates.