Our diverse faith traditions compel us to welcome one another with love and compassion, regardless of place of birth, religion, or race. The Torah tells us: “The strangers who sojourn with you shall be to you as the natives among you, and you shall love them as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Leviticus 19:33-34). In the Christian Bible, Jesus commands us to welcome the stranger, for “what you do to the least of my brethren, you do unto me” (Matthew 25:40). The Qur’an directs us to “do good to…those in need, neighbors who are near, neighbors who are strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer that you meet” (4:36). The Hindu Taitiriya Upanishad reminds us: “The guest is a representative of God” (1.11.2).
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition comes together to call on Congress and the Administration to enact humane and equitable immigration policy reforms. U.S. policies on immigration and refugee resettlement should recognize the gifts, contributions, and struggles of immigrants and refugees, ensuring justice and protection for all. Our platform is rooted in our interfaith principles, which call us to ensure that our laws promote and protect the dignity of each individual.
Families are the basic unit of strong communities. Unified families bring stability to individual households and strengthen neighborhoods and communities. Family members help one another navigate a new culture, pursue job opportunities, start businesses, and contribute economically, socially, and spiritually to society. As faith communities, we know that every family deserves stability and security. Children should not have to live with the fear of their parents being taken away from them at any moment. As we reform our laws to prioritize keeping families together, our communities will grow healthier and stronger.
When immigrants are held in prolonged limbo at the hands of the legal immigration system, our communities cannot flourish. We seek naturalization and citizenship procedures that are affordable, accessible, and expedient with respect to due process. Expanding visa availability, increasing the number of ports of entry, allocating resources for more immigration attorneys and judges, and eliminating application backlogs will reduce the undue burden on immigrants traversing the legal immigration system. All immigrants have a right to access legal representation, including children. Financial support to state and local governments and community organizations that offer language and civics education, outreach, and immigration legal assistance can empower immigrants to navigate the system. Strengthening our legal asylum processes and refugee resettlement program will help our national community respond in a humane way to those most vulnerable among us.
Migrant workers are an asset to our country, contributing necessary skills and labor for our communities and economy. All workers benefit from the enforcement of health, safety, and wage-and-hour laws, as well as the right to peacefully organize. Employers should be held accountable to abide by labor protections and standards for all workers, regardless of status. As faithful people, we seek policies that decrease immigrants’ vulnerabilities to exploitation and reduce unfair or discriminatory hiring and firing practices. Citizens and migrants alike have the right to be treated with dignity by their employers.
Policies that strengthen relationships between local law enforcement and the community are essential for public safety. Separating local policing from immigration enforcement promotes the safety of the whole community. Immigrants, family members of immigrants, and individuals perceived to be immigrants should not be vulnerable when interacting with police, or fear retribution if they report being victim or witness to a crime. As we focus on building more inclusive communities, we support local and federal policing reforms that seek to eliminate racial profiling and disproportionate targeting of communities of color. We encourage policies that emphasize effective community-driven policing for the safety of all community members, citizens and non-citizens alike.
We are called by our many faith traditions to ensure that individuals are treated with dignity and integrity. We seek interior enforcement and border policies that reflect these values and protect human life, tribal sovereignty and sacred sites, and environmental standards. Adequate training and continuing education for all law enforcement officials, with a focus on the protection of human and civil rights, are essential to preserving the safety and security of our communities.
Maintaining judicial and prosecutorial discretion is a core component of a fair justice system. A one-size-fits-all approach to punishment does not serve our communities and undermines the integrity of our justice system. Many immigrants are long-time residents of U.S. communities with old or minor criminal convictions who have since created families and become vital members of their communities. Our many faiths compel us to build communities of redemption and wholeness. Sound policy allows for the proper use of prosecutorial and judicial discretion thus ensuring that immigrants who pose no real threat to public safety or national security will not be detained or deported from their communities.
People of faith who accompany or represent immigrants in detention facilities witness firsthand the toll incarceration takes on those detained, their families, and our communities. As long as immigrants are detained, facility conditions must be improved and access to due process must be upheld. We support policies that promote the use of community-based alternatives to detention and prevent the detention of immigrants. Vulnerable individuals, such as children and asylum seekers, should be sheltered in non-restrictive environments and never in detention facilities.
Among communities of faith, our shared call to “welcome the stranger” has brought us together in support of the protection of those who seek refuge within our borders and around the world. All those fleeing conflict and persecution, including human trafficking survivors and other vulnerable populations, deserve the opportunity to pursue safe, productive, and fruitful lives. We support policies that ensure individuals maintain the right to seek protection within our borders and that our policies do not force them to return them to deadly or dangerous conditions or to be handed over to persons who seek to exploit them. Sheltering and providing for the most vulnerable among us must be upheld in U.S. domestic and foreign policies by addressing the perpetuation of the root causes of forced migration. All people have the right to migrate, as well as the right to flourish in their home countries.
Communities are strongest when we welcome and support one another. When provided the assistance they need to rebuild their lives, immigrants and resettled refugees open businesses, revitalize towns, and contribute economically, socially, and spiritually to our communities. Immigrants should have easy access to support systems that allow them to feel part of their community, including having proper access to education, healthcare, emergency services, and social services.
We will continue to press Congress to work in a bipartisan manner to pass legislation that protects the God-given dignity and rights of every human being, including migrants, immigrants, and refugees. As we work toward these real solutions, let us together build a future that values the unity of all families, protects the safety of all communities, and brings people together rather than tearing them apart. As a matter of faith, we are called to act.