When President Biden ran for office, he promised to make the immigration system fair, orderly and humane. He said he wished to “undo the moral and national shame of the previous administration.” On his first day in office, he announced sweeping plans to reform decades-old U.S. immigration laws.
But two years later little has changed. Migrants still daily risk death from any number of dangers— lethal exposure to excessive heat or cold, drowning trying to cross rivers, suffocation in semi-trailers, falls from the border wall, outright homicide, and now detention center disasters. Of those who reach here, the vast majority face denial of entry—or even worse, family separation.
Largely because of a lack of good faith efforts on the part of the Republican Congress and a conservative Supreme Court, the President has only been able to deal with this issue via Executive Orders, but even those have disappointed immigrant advocates. He now has finally ended the oppressive Title 42 policy, but the situation at the border continues to be dangerous and untenable for the thousands of migrants trying to enter the US. The UN has criticized Biden’s replacement of Title 42 with Title 8 as a violation of international law:
“Barriers preventing people from exercising the fundamental human right to seek asylum are unacceptable and contrary to States’ international obligations. The new US Government Rule that restricts access for asylum-seekers who arrive irregularly after transiting through another country is incompatible with principles of international refugee law,” said the United Nation’s Refugee Agency and International Migration Organization in a joint statement.
In a very real sense, our immigration system is not “broken,” as we so often hear. It is doing the job our politicians want it to do quite well, namely, to discourage all but the most “desirable” immigrants from even trying to come to the U.S. This despite the fact that our economy runs on immigrant labor, including the undocumented, who lack “papers” but are willing to do the jobs U.S. citizens are not.
We could speak further of all the many contributions immigrants have always made to this nation and the fact that they pay taxes, replace our aging workforce, create small businesses, etc., but that is not our purpose in this letter. Rather it is simply to remind people of faith – all faiths – that all religions teach us that all people are siblings to us, no matter their race, nationality, or economic status. Clearly, this is not the way we should be treating other members of our human family.
We are not calling for “open borders” – no country is bound to accept all those who wish to resettle there to the point its social and economic life is jeopardized. But people also have a right to migrate, and all, migrants and natives, are equal in God’s eyes. We are calling for a system that is humane, and for the U.S. to live up to the international agreements it has been part of for decades,
We call upon our leaders to think about the common good, instead of viewing immigration as a useful “wedge” issue, and we call upon our citizens to reject the politics of fear and demonization and call upon our elected officials to do the same. Lastly, we call upon all faith communities to respond to this moral crisis and become even stronger advocates for our immigrant families.
(for a comprehensive analysis of current immigration policy and the situation at the border, see: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/border-after-title-42)
Signatories:
Congregations/Organizations
Board of Christian Outreach of First Baptist Church
Christ Presbyterian Church
Christ Presbyterian Church/Refuge Group
Congregation Emanu-El of Waukesha
Echo Valley Hope
First Baptist Church of Madison
Great Plains Zen Center
Greater Milwaukee Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Immigration Justice Team; Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ
James Reeb Unitarian Universalists
Lake Edge United Church of Christ, part of Alliance@4200
Madison Friends Meeting (Quakers)
Madison Mennonite Church
Madison Christian Community Sanctuary Committee
McFarland United Church of Christ
Midvale Community Lutheran Church
Milwaukee Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Milwaukee Metropolitan Community Church
Oakland-Cambridge Presbyterian Church
Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ
Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ
Reshaping Madison Together
Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi
St Luke’s and Good Shepherd/Buen Pastor Episcopal Churches
Temple Beth El
The Crossing Campus Ministry
The Milwaukee Zen Center
The Social Justice Ministry of the First Unitarian Society of Madison
Underwood Memorial Baptist Church
Voces de la Frontera
Wisconsin Conference United Church of Christ
Wisconsin Council of Churches
Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice
Worker Justice Wisconsin
Individuals
Rabbi Steven Adams
Milwaukee, WI
Mr. Ian Aley
Madison, WI
Ms. Lauren Amburn
Madison, WI
Rev. Dr. David Anderman
Madison WI
Ms. Joyce Anderson
Madison WI
Rev. Myoyu Andersen
Monroe, WI
Rev. Scott Anderson
Madison, WI
Minister Keelin Anderson
Madison, WI
Reverend Kelly Asprooth-Jackson
Madison, WI
Reverend Walter Baires
Madison, WI
Dr. Peter Bakken
Madison, WI
Ms Megan Barry-Luglio
Madison, WI
Mr. Mark Bauman
Madison, WI
Ms. Joanna Berke
Madison, WI
Rabbi Jonathan Biatch
Madison, WI
Mr. Jacob Boehr
Madison, WI
Rev. Winton Boyd
Minneapolis, MN
Mr. Geoffrey Brink
McFarland, WI
Rev. Dr. Julia Burkey
Madison, WI
Ms. Elizabeth Butler
Fitchburg, WI
Mx. Samuel Christensen
Madison, WI
Ms. Ginny Close
Eau Claire, WI
Me. Katherine Cornell
Geneva, IL
Ms. Laura Crow
Middleton, WI
Mr. Franco Da Costa
Madison, WI
Mr. Wynn Davies
Madison, WI
Rev. Dr. Dan Dick
Oregon, WI
Ms. Joyce Dingman
Madison, WI
Mrs. Cari DiTullio
Middleton, WI
Ms. Susie Dixon
Madison, WI
Mrs. Vivian Ehrlich
Fitchburg, WI
Ms. Susan Elias
Spring Green, WI
Rev. Chris Enstad
Madison, WI
Mr. Harold Evensen
Verona, WI
Ms. Christine Fell
Madison, WI
Ms. Nindik Figueredo
DeForest, WI
Rev. Donald Fleischman
Madison and Sun Prairie, WI
Mr. Aaron Fogleman
Batavia, IL
Rev. Dr. Jerry Folk
Madison WI
Rabbi Betsy Forester
Madison, WI
Mrs. Linda Frank
Milwaukee, WI
Ms. Susan Frank
Mt. Horeb, WI
Ms. Lisa Gades
Aurora, IL
Ms. Jane Geier
Madison, WI
Ms. Louise Goldstein
Madison, WI
Ms. Laura Gottlieb
Madison, WI
Ms. Stacy Graff
Fitchburg, WI
Rev. Reirin Gumbel
Milwaukee, WI
Ms. Beth Gunshor
Madison, WI
Rev. Karen Hagen
Milwaukee, WI
Mr. John Hagen
Monroe, WI
Mr. Peter Haney
Madison, WI
Ms. Paulette Harder
Madison WI
The Rev. Dr. Paula Harris
Janesville, WI
Dr. Kimberly Harrison
Plano, IL
Ms. Lisa Hart
Ripon, WI
Rev. Phil Haslanger
Fitchburg, WI
Rev. Elizabeth Hazel
Park Falls, WI
Pastor Larry Henning
Middleton, WI
Ms. Gabby Hobart
Madison, WI
Rev. Libby Howe
La Crosse, WI
Ms. Barbie Jackson
Madison, WI
Ms. Gail Jacob
Madison, WI
Ms. Larissa Joanna
Madison, WI
Rev. Peder Johanson
Brodhead, WI
Ms. Lisa Johnson
Rhinelander, WI
Ms. Sally Jones
Madison, WI
Ms. Kelly Kearns
Madison, WI
Mr. Bill Keen
Verona, WI
Ms. Joan Kemble
Madison. WI
Ms. Kathi Kemp
Sauk City, WI
Ms. Susan Kiernan
Madison, WI
Ms. Joanne Kirkland
Madison, WI
Mr. William Koehl
Geneva, IL
Mr. Richard Kopitzke
Marshfield, WI
Ms. Elinor Kosek
Middleton, WI
Ms. Diane Kravetz
Madison WI
Ms. Emily Kuhn
Madison, WI
Ms. Ann Lacy
Madison, WI
Dr. Gregory Lampe
Madison, WI
Ms. Ruthanne Landsness
Madison, WI
Ms. Brenda Lempp
Madison, WI
Mr. Daniel Levitin
Madison, WI
Cantor Martin Levson
Waukesha, WI
Ms. Mary Lorenz
Madison, WI
Ms. Sara Lubbers
Madison WI
Mr. Thomas Ludwig
McFarland WI
Ms. Eleanor Margulis
Emeryville, CA
Rev. Dr. Jason Mack
Wauwatosa, WI
Ms. Norma Madsen
Madison, WI
Ms. Marsha Mansfield
Madison, WI
Ms. Jeanne Mantsch
Mequon, WI
Rabbi Bonnie Margulis
Madison, WI
Ms. Mary Markwardt
Madison, WI
Rev. Scott Marrese-Wheeler
Cambridge, WI
Ms. Carol Martell
Madison, WI
Ms. Rosemary Maziarz
Saint Charles, IL
Ms. Jill Westberg McNamara
Madison, WI
Ms. Evie Miller
Milton, WI
Mr. William Mollway
Madison, WI
Ms. Nancy Moore
Madison, WI
Ms. Cierra Neitzel
Madison, WI
Mr. Russell Novkov
Madison, WI
Ms. Melody Panek
Middleton, WI
Rev. Dr. Jessica Patchett
Madison WI
Rev. Kenneth Pennings
Madison, WI
Mr. Mark Peters
Wauwatosa, WI
Ms. Judith Pierotti
Madison, WI
Pastor Larry Pinnow
Madison, WI
Rev. Jason Poole-Xiong
Madison, WI
Ms. Valleri Quintanilla
Madison, WI
Mr. Benji Ramirez Gomez
Madison, WI
Rev. Ellen Rasmussen
Oshkosh, WI
Ms. Heather Reekie
Verona, WI
Ms. Christine Reichelderfer
Madison, WI
Rev. Glen Reichelderfer
Madison, WI
Dr. Leigh Richardson
Madison, WI
Mrs. Darlene Rohrermeck
Madison, WI
Mrs. Mirriam Rosen
Madison, WI
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ross
Watertown, WI
Rev. Tim Schaefer
Madison, WI
Rev. Leslie Schenk
Madison, WI
Mr. David Seligman
Madison, WI
Dr. Erica Serlin
Madison, WI
Rev. Larry Sexe
Deerfield, WI
Ms. Terryl Shouba
Elburn IL
Rev. Valerie Showalter
Madison, WI
Ms. Lynn Silverman
Madison, WI
Ms. Ann Smiley
Middleton, WI
Mr. Mark Smith
Oconto Falls, WI
Mr. Farrel Smith
McFarland, WI
Ms. Sherie Sondel
Madison, WI
Dr. Roxane Spitzer
Madison, WI
Ms. Kristine Sprague
Madison, WI
Ms. Laura Stalder
Madison, WI
Ms. Laurie Stensland
Madison, WI
Ms. Lori Stoneking
Madison, WI
Ms. Mary Strait
Fitchburg, WI
Ms. Laura Svaren
Madison, WI
Ms. Mary Swandby
Madison, WI
Ms. Ann Louise Tetreault
Madison, WI
Ms. Bianca Tomasini
Madison, WI
Rev. Tory Topjian
Milwaukee, WI
Mr. Alan Tripp
Madison, WI
Pastor Frederick Trost
Sheboygan, WI
Ms. CarolTroyer-Shank
Madison, WI
The Rev. Nick Utphall
Madison, WI
Ms. Donna Veatch
Madison, WI
Ms. Donna Vukelich-Selva
Madison, WI
Mr. Mark Wagler
Madison, WI
Ms. Jean Waldman
Middleton, WI
Dr. Arthur Waldman
Middleton, WI
Ms. Kim Waldman
Madison, WI
Dr. J. Denny Weaver
Madison, WI
Rev. Cathy Weigand
Madison, WI
Mr. Jonathan Wertz
River Hills, WI
Ms. Lauren West
Ontario, WI
Dr. Bernie Wiebe
WI
Mrs. Marie Wiebe
Madison. WI
Mr. Vernum Richard Wildermuth
Madison, WI
Ms. Anne Wuethrich
Madison WI
Rev. Rachel Young Binter
Milwaukee, WI
Rev. Steve Zekoff
Lake Mills, WI
Mr. Daniel Zimmerman
Madison, WI