Washington, DC – As the Senate prepares to vote on a bill that would drastically change the U.S. immigration and asylum systems, 662 faith leaders and 155 faith-based organizations and congregations have sent a letter urging Congress to uphold our moral and legal responsibility to welcome people seeking safety.
The legislation would further restrict access to asylum, arbitrarily close the border, turn away vulnerable families and individuals, and expand harmful criminalization measures like immigration detention. These devastating policies are a moral failure and would exacerbate both the humanitarian and operational challenges at the border. While the bill also includes some beneficial provisions, like family visas and support for Afghan refugees, these cannot come at the expense of other members of our communities. Congress must pursue effective, fair, and compassionate alternatives that respect the sacred dignity of all people. As some of the letter signatories express:
“This proposed supplemental funding bill would eviscerate the asylum program as we know it, making it more difficult—if not impossible—for people fleeing danger to claim asylum, while ramping up detentions and deportations,” said Rev. Noel Andersen, IIC Co-Chair and National Field Director at Church World Service. “Although there are positive provisions that would benefit certain refugee populations, the policies of exclusion and expulsion detailed in the bill are too great and run in direct opposition to the moral obligation we hold as faith communities to welcome people with dignity. We call on Congress to pursue legislation that can build the type of welcome infrastructure necessary as more people throughout the globe are facing perilous conditions that force people to migrate.”
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, added: “We are disturbed that this deal contains extreme lasting changes to immigration policy in exchange for one-time national security funding. The deal in discussion would create higher barriers to pass initial screening for asylum, and deny many asylum seekers fair due process. It would also create chaos at the border by unpredictably closing it when asylum seekers hit a ‘trigger number,’ and would mean that some who are denied asylum face deportation without the legal recourse they deserve. Only the worst villains in the Torah subject their fellow humans to further trauma in moments of need. Their cruelty is a lesson to do the opposite by greeting migrants and asylum seekers with dignity and compassion.”
“As an organization present at the U.S.-Mexico border, we express deep concern over how this bill could further complicate the situation at the border for those seeking safety,” shared Joan Rosenhauer, President of Jesuit Refugee Service/USA. “Overall, we support solutions that provide access to asylum and ensure the well-being and safety of those arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. While this bill misses the mark, we encourage Congress to continue these bipartisan efforts and work towards comprehensive solutions that guarantee access to asylum in a fair, safe, and orderly way.”
“The cruelty at the border needs to stop. The provisions outlined in the appropriations bill, purporting to automatically shut down the border and expel individuals seeking safety, are not only a failed attempt to secure the border but are also a catalyst for increased chaos on both the US and Mexican sides,” said Dylan Corbett, Executive Director of Hope Border Institute. “Any policy that fails to acknowledge the complex realities of migration and prioritizes enforcement over compassion is fundamentally flawed. We call on policymakers to reject these harmful provisions and instead work towards comprehensive solutions that honor our nation’s commitment to human dignity and justice.”
Mary Novak, Executive Director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, stated: “NETWORK decries the new harsh policies of expulsion and exclusion of people seeking safety in the U.S. that are included in the Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024. The Catholic tradition honors international law that provides human beings the right to seek asylum, and we believe countries have a moral responsibility to care for those seeking help at their borders. This dangerous bill will only lead to more human suffering, especially among Black, Brown, and Indigenous people.”
“We are deeply troubled and perplexed by the legislative proposals coming out of the U.S. Senate regarding a systematic dismantling of the asylum and immigration systems. As United Methodists, per our Book of Resolutions and Social Principles, we affirm the value, worth, and inherent dignity of all persons, regardless of their country of origin,” reflected Rev. Kendal L. McBroom, Director of Civil and Human Rights, The United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society. “Migrants and asylum seekers are our siblings, and we take issue with their treatment as well as this proposal to turn away families seeking peace and security. Furthermore, we believe in a divine power that hears and is moved by the cries of the migrant. A total disregard for their well-being is unacceptable and we implore decision makers in Congress to implement some of the recommendations by those in the faith community and immigrant movement.”
Sister Marie Lucey, OSF, Associate Director of Franciscan Action Network, added: “Franciscans cannot support a bill that sets one community in need against another and offers no workable, humane solution to address increasing numbers of migrants at our southern border. The numbers quoted represent human beings–women, men, and children–who have God-given dignity and deserve to be treated with respect and compassion, not used as bargaining chips in an effort to obtain foreign assistance. We urge Congress to work in a bipartisan way to create an asylum system that is orderly, efficient, and humane. This Border Act is not the solution.”
“We have significant concerns about the way the bill undermines our commitment to domestic and international asylum laws and revives some of the more extreme immigration policies seen in recent years. It also reflects Congress’s failure, yet again, to protect DREAMERs, young people who are particularly at risk,” shared Barbara Weinstein, Director, Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism.
“The United Church of Christ is clear in our commitment to love our neighbor and our call to welcome immigrants and those seeking asylum. Our UCC General Synod has passed resolutions in support of these values and our local congregations are doing the important work of asylum accompaniment in states across the nation,” added Rev. Michael Neuroth (he/him), Director of the Washington D.C. Office for the United Church of Christ, National Ministries. “Although the proposed funding supplemental has some positive provisions that support refugees, overall the bill would devastate our asylum system and make it even more difficult for people fleeing danger to make their claim to asylum. If signed, it would create an expedited removal program that would send people to detention and deportation, separate more families, and force people into dangerous areas that would lead to more migrant deaths. We cannot play politics with people’s lives. Instead, we call on Congress to step up our nation’s capacity to welcome people with dignity, just as our congregations continue to open their doors to asylum seekers in need.”
“When thousands of people come to you seeking protection from danger, the moral response is not to slam the door in their faces,” laments Susan Krehbiel, Associate for Migration Accompaniment Ministries at Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. “There are 110 million forcibly displaced people globally, but the leaders of one of the richest countries in the world believe that taking in 5,000 asylum seekers per day is too many. The U.S. is failing to fulfill its responsibility to accept people seeking safety from violence and persecution. Policy makers need to stop pretending that asylum seekers will just disappear if they turn a blind eye. Policies of deterrence haven’t worked in the past and won’t work now. We urge Congress to invest in border policies that actually work on the ground and to receive families seeking asylum with justice and kindness.”
“As Unitarian Universalists, we begin in love. We support proposals to modernize, reform, and fully fund our immigration and asylum system. This proposal is not that, and it is too far off the mark to accept measures restricting asylum, at the cost of migrant safety,” reflects Pablo DeJesús, Executive Director of Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice. “We understand that efforts to comprehensively reform immigration laws have been made extremely difficult, and therefore, we appreciate some features of the bill, items that we have long supported. Yet, those elements are insufficient to overcome our apprehension for a bill that sets up a contest for compassion between those arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border and all others. A bill that worrisomely weakens due process and asylum. A bill that puts aside the commitment to legalize the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the U.S. without documentation, such as recipients of DACA like the Dreamers and other longtime residents.”
“Scripture tells us: the work and effect of righteousness shall be peace. The right to asylum is not a bargaining chip for military funding. And any policy that fails to safeguard respite, protection, and peace for communities fleeing violence and persecution promises tragedy and turmoil, ” shared Anika Forrest, Legislative Director for Domestic Policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation. “U.S. political leaders insist on chaotic and cruel policies that function as impenetrable walls and abandon asylum seekers. Migration management as well as humane, safe, and orderly processing at the border deserve effective and modern solutions. The Senate bill does neither.”
The complete letter and list of signatories is available here. Note that the quotes in this statement reflect the views of individual organizations and are not necessarily reflective of all IIC members or all signatories of the letter.
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/X @interfaithimm.
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