WASHINGTON, DC – Asylum seekers, human rights groups, and faith leaders rallied and held vigil in front of the White House yesterday to demand an end to “Title 42 expulsions,” a Trump-era policy used to block asylum seekers under the guise of public health. They highlighted the United States’ responsibility to refugees and asylum seekers by uplifting the principles adopted in an international treaty that was signed seventy years ago at the Refugee Convention of 1951. In addition to demanding an end to Title 42 expulsions, the group urged President Biden and Congress to end detention, deportations, and expedited removals of families, and to create a robust humanitarian reception system including welcoming hubs at the border and case management. Activists and people of faith nationwide were called to raise their voices in every community by holding similar Faith Asylum Vigils and learning more about how to Welcome with Dignity. A livestream recording of the event is available here.
The line-up of speakers included asylum-seekers, faith leaders, advocates, and organizers: Benson Phillip Gatu Njuguna (Kenyan Asylum Seeker and Advocate, PA), Kenneth Arzudia Hernandez (Congregation Action Network), Rev. Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea (Refugee & Immigration Ministries, Director, Christian Church, Disciples of Christ in the U.S. & Canada), Ana Ortega (Human Rights First, Advocacy Strategist, Refugee Protection Program), Rev. Michael Wilker (LSS of National Capital Area & Pastor, Lutheran Church of the Reformation/ELCA), Maria Chavalan Sut (Sanctuary Leader), Bilal Askaryar (#WelcomeWithDignity Campaign), and Susan Krehbiel (Presbyterian Church USA).
“As we gather to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Refugee Convention, our community of asylum-seekers, people of faith, and human rights defenders demand that the Biden administration comply with its commitments under the Refugee Convention,” stated Ana Ortega, Advocacy Strategist for Human Rights First’s Refugee Protection Program. “We must restore lifesaving asylum protections for people seeking safety in the United States… Today we are here to remind the Biden administration of its obligations to refugees and to urge the administration to uphold this legal and moral responsibility.”
“As an indigenous person, I have experienced laws intended to exterminate my people,” said Maria Chavalan Sut, asylum seeker and Sanctuary Leader. Her remarks were delivered in Spanish; recording here. “I should have no reason to be a refugee in a sanctuary church. I have every right to go about this continent and my native lands… In these lands, there never should have been prisons or detention. What happened to me is that I was detained in a freezing cold room like a prisoner for trying to save my own life… That’s why I want the Biden administration to commit to Article 26 of the Refugee Convention, ‘the right to choose place of residence and to move freely within the country…’ We must not accept this injustice.”
Also speaking in Spanish (recording here), Kenneth Arzudia Hernandez, an asylum seeker and advocate from Faith In Action said: “Starting in 2018, I was detained for a year and six months in immigrant detention – the first time. The second time, I was detained for eight months in a federal prison for immigration reasons just for wanting to take refuge in this country and wanting to be free, and to take care of myself and my family. It was a terrible experience in immigrant detention where I saw dreams and happiness die… If there’s anything that I want you to remember about me, based on my experience, it’s that I want Title 42 to be eliminated so that people can be free. These lands don’t have barriers. Barriers are built in our minds.”
“We have to end Title 42 and all the policies that are keeping people separated from their loved ones,” said Kristin Kumpf, Director of Human Migration and Mobility for the American Friends Service Committee. “We have to stop mandatory detention. We have to stop these policies at the border that immediately put people into [circumstances that are] exactly the opposite of what we say we believe, which is to be welcoming people into this country.”
“In every faith there is the calling to ensure that we welcome others. Our Muslim brothers and sisters bring us the wisdom of the Qur’an that reminds us that Allah does not love the arrogant. Instead Allah calls believers to sacrifice knowing that Allah provides enough for all,” said Rev. Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea, Director of Disciples of Christ Refugee and Immigration Ministries. “Our friends from Jewish tradition recall the harvest story of the book of Ruth where God called Ruth and Naomi to leave the gleanings. Don’t take it all! Don’t think it all belongs to you! Your life on this earth is to share with those who are in need.”
Cosponsors of the vigil included the Interfaith Immigration Coalition, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the U.S. & Canada, American Friends Service Committee, Church World Service, Presbyterian Church (USA), #WelcomeWithDignity Campaign, Human Rights First, Faith in Action, National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, and ELCA-AMMPARO.
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of over 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
###