Professor Jan Hiles, Treasurer at Birmingham Friends Meeting (Quakers), decries rampant spending of federal tax dollars on uncontrolled immigration enforcement, while “officials in congressional hearings deny their responsibility for providing clean drinking water, toothbrushes and other basic necessities to detained individuals.”
Meanwhile, also at AL.com, Lynda Wilson and Debbie Soniat of the Alabama Interfaith Refugee Partnership sound the alarm about cuts to the refugee resettlement program that have already taken place, and may continue this month. This anti-refugee, anti-immigrant animus drives an entire policy agenda for the Trump administration, and runs directly counter to the teachings of all major religions, who are called to welcome the stranger and love their neighbors as they do God.
“There are 25.4 million refugees around the world, according to the United Nations, a 50 percent increase since 2013,” Wilson and Soniat write. “These are ordinary people trying to escape war and persecution. We find it shameful that the United States, traditionally a generous and compassionate country, has turned its back to these vulnerable families.”
In response to the Trump administration’s relentless focus on deportation of long-term residents, nearly three dozen churches in Birmingham have offered refuge for immigrants who fear of raids and deportation. They cited their “ethical and theological commitments” that require them to “take a stand against policies and language that dehumanize our immigrant siblings.”
The Anniston Star published an editorial that said the “[i]mmigration debate needs compassion—in Alabama, too.”
Recently, more than thirty national, faith-based organizations sent a letter to Congress calling for a reduction in “the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) budget for deportation, detention, and border militarization.”
Rather, they urge support for programs that include “community-based alternatives to detention, mitigation of the root causes of forced migration, and meaningful reforms that would reunite families permanently and allow our communities to flourish.” Alternatives to detention are cost-effective, efficient, and humane; read about them here.
Said Katie Adams, Policy Advocate for Domestic Issues with the United Church of Christ and Co-Chair of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition: “We must ensure that the laws on our books are carried out with common sense and compassion, in line with our values. When that does not happen, we have an obligation to raise our voices. As the top leader on Senate appropriations, Senator Shelby also has an obligation to carry out these values rather than providing cover and excuses for the administration.
“Moreover, when the law is no longer just–as is the case for many asylum-seekers and undocumented immigrants who have lived here for decades–we must find the moral courage and conviction to reform the laws so that they do represent our values. Again, we expect Senator Shelby to show leadership in line with the religious values he claims to hold dear.”
Resources
View immigrants’ economic contributions in Alabama and demographic traits from New American Economy.
Read this memo on border policy recommendations and this backgrounder on how federal appropriations can reflect our values by Interfaith Immigration Coalition.
To interview Alabama faith leaders, contact Interfaith Immigration Coalition (media@interfaithimmigration.org).
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of 53 national, faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual. In partnership, we work to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all refugees and migrants.
Follow us on Twitter @interfaithimm
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