Washington, DC – Two hundred twenty-four faith-based organizations and over 1,000 faith leaders sent a letter to the Trump administration, Congress, and Governors, telling them that “immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers must be included in our emergency response [to COVID-19] if we are to assist everyone who is in need.” The organizations and individuals span forty-six states plus the District of Columbia.
This follows an earlier statement from the Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC) calling for an end to medical prejudice against immigrants, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new letter was signed by 60 national organizations, 164 state-based organizations, and 1,025 individuals.
Following are excerpts from the letter, which can be read in its entirety here.
All immigrants make vital contributions to the economy, including undocumented immigrants and individuals with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Many of the doctors, nurses, researchers, and health workers on the front-lines, protecting the public’s health and caring for the sick, were born in other lands, as are many of the essential workers keeping our food supply going. All people deserve access to the care they need and to be treated with human dignity….
The anxiety triggered by the pandemic for long-term residents and recently arrived immigrants and refugees alike is exacerbated by fear of immigration enforcement, suspension of immigration benefit processing, and the large number of asylum seekers and other migrants in immigration detention. Now is a time to come together — U.S. born citizens, immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees — to work through this challenging time. When one person is at greater risk of COVID-19, we are all at greater risk.
Following are the solutions detailed in the letter; more information is available here.
- Halt deportations of women, men, children and families.
- Release all detained children and families, given the previous deaths of minors for influenza while in U.S. custody.
- Release detained immigrant adults so that they can stay safe with their families in the U.S. and avoid contracting COVID-19.
- Ensure that every incarcerated person has access to proper hygiene products and free calls to lawyers, friends, and family members until they are released.
- Ensure free access to medical tests and health care for all members of our communities.
- Fully suspend the public charge rule at USCIS by creating exemptions for financial loss due to the outbreak, and liberalize criteria for the Families First Coronavirus Act (FFCRA).
- Stop ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) enforcement activities, including deportations and interior checkpoints, and temporarily close immigration courts nationwide.
- End the suspension of entry to asylum seekers, and uphold U.S. and international law to protect people fleeing violence and persecution.
- Extend immigrant visa validity periods and deadlines that will expire before the end of the current global pandemic, and associated travel restrictions.
- Resume refugee and special immigrant admissions expeditiously — consistent with general travel restrictions — and extend security check validity periods for refugees and special immigrants.
The letter concludes:
As we continue to pray and act for justice, we know we must all work together, and ensure that all members of our communities are protected. We appeal to your humanity, as we have a moral obligation to ensure immigrants and asylum seekers are included in solutions during this public health crisis and not left to get ill and die. Their protection is critical to greater public health.
Reverend John L. McCullough, president and CEO of Church World Service, said: “Immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers are part of our communities. They serve on the front-lines of the pandemic, keep our supply chains working, and pay taxes. To face the fear of deportation, being separated from their families or not being able to access healthcare while they do so is not only tragic, but unnecessary. Many of those who will be vulnerable without the protections we call for are married to, parents of, or children of American citizens. These are concrete steps our elected officials can take to protect them, ensuring that the fear of COVID-19 is not compounded with cruelty.”
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of 55 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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