WASHINGTON, DC – Most of the U.S. House Members who cast “yea” votes on the budget reconciliation bill yesterday consider themselves to be people of faith who follow the Word of God. Yet the vote they cast on the reconciliation bill says the opposite. That’s the message of diverse faith leaders after the U.S. House of Representatives joined the U.S. Senate in approving another $70B for federal immigration enforcement agencies, outside of the regular appropriations process.
Yesterday, many of these faith leaders gathered at the United Methodist Building and then walked to the U.S. Capitol, praying that elected leaders would do what they know is right: reject the President’s immoral focus on harming human beings who have come to this country to contribute, be safe, and take care of their loved ones. Every faith tradition recognizes the inherent human dignity of all people. Budgets and appropriations votes are moral decisions. The American people want Congress to use our tax dollars to fund human needs, not harm.
See pictures and videos from yesterday’s faith leader gathering here.
Rev. Julio Hernández, Executive Director of Congregation Action Network was one of a dozen faith leaders who came to Capitol Hill in May to urge congressional leaders to vote no on the budget reconciliation bill that passed the U.S. House today. “This reconciliation bill doesn’t address the American people’s priorities,” he said. “We want affordable housing, gas, and groceries. We want to be treated with dignity and respect on the job, and by law enforcement. Instead, this bill is bloated with more funds for immigration agencies that are, quite frankly, already out of control. The American people don’t want more people to die on our streets, at the hands of ICE, or in detention centers. We want a rational and humane immigration policy that respects everyone’s constitutional rights.”
Jean Stokan, Justice Coordinator, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, said, “Every Member of Congress who voted to give another $70 billion for ICE and CBP, on top of the $170 billion already awarded this year, with no strings attached, must be held accountable. The cruelty and hate-filled rhetoric against immigrants must stop. Our nation needs deep soul-searching and an examination of conscience. Rather than ‘blaming the victims,’ immigrants and refugees, we need to own how U.S. policies toward other countries have contributed to the very conditions of poverty and violence that have forced them to flee for their lives. Our congregations and our communities have become enriched by the contributions of our immigrant neighbors, and we will continue to stand in solidarity with them.“
“With the passage of this bill, Congress has given $240 billion to federal immigration enforcement agencies in less than a year, over two reconciliation bills. Enough is enough, and too much is too much,” said Pablo DeJesús, executive director of Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice. “At a time when so many Americans struggle to pay for food, housing, medicine, and fuel, Congress has found the immoral courage to double down on tearing families apart, detaining children, and terrorizing communities. As Unitarian Universalists, our faith teaches us that we must not remain silent or abide by such injustice. What Congress did constitutes an endorsement of all the horrors reported, everything our communities have witnessed and experienced this past year. Indifference and complicity must be named clearly; they are the siblings of evil.”
“We oppose this funding, as people of many faiths, because we live out the belief that we should welcome the sojourner, love our neighbor, feed the hungry, and heal the sick,” said Rev. Noel Andersen, National Field Director at Church World Service and Co-Chair of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition. “At a time when mothers, fathers, and children are being forced from their homes without due process, and when the American people are struggling with grocery bills, unaffordable healthcare, empty gas tanks, and skyrocketing rent, our federal budget does not deserve tens of billions of dollars more for immigration enforcement. Our tax dollars should not be used to separate families, return victims of persecution to danger, and raid schools, houses of worship, courthouses and hospitals.”
Over 150 faith-based organizations — representing national groups and 28 states including the District of Columbia — sent a letter to House and Senate leadership urging the bill’s rejection. They pointed out that people in the United States are struggling financially, and that “Congress’s cuts to the social safety net have weakened institutional supports that provide stability and protect families against poverty.”
