Washington, DC – On April 10, 85 national and local faith organizations sent a letter to the House and Senate Homeland Security and Judiciary Committees urging them to consider the constitutional rights and inherent dignity of all immigrants as Congress drafts the budget reconciliation bill. Congress is working on a massive spending package through a process known as “budget reconciliation” which may add as much as $175 billion over the next 10 years for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Committees are slated to work on the reconciliation package over the next few weeks, during a time when many faith traditions observe religious holidays and festivities.
The letter discusses how religious communities share a commitment to seek the common good in public life, a commitment that extends to immigrants. Faith communities are among those that will be impacted as detentions and deportations increase in scale. The letter cautions: “With larger funds, immigration and border enforcement will continue to infringe on the human and constitutional rights of immigrants at a much larger scale and with less accountability. With larger funds, ICE raids will be more frequent, leading to a chilling effect that may leave more congregants feeling unsafe participating in worship services or turning to our congregations and organizations in times of need, undermining our role as key pillars of support in our communities. We urge Congress to reject dramatically increasing funding for immigration enforcement and instead turn toward policies that strengthen our communities so we all can thrive.”
This letter comes on the heels of a finding by a report issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Department of Migration and Refugee Services, in collaboration with the National Association of Evangelicals, World Relief, and the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, that estimates that roughly 1 in 12 Christians could come under threat of deportation or live with someone who could.
The complete letter and list of signatories is available here.
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of over 56 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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