Faith
Faith groups across the country have been vocal in their belief that immigration strengthens our communities and adamant in their support for common sense immigration reforms. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Southern Baptist Convention, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and many other religious groups have endorsed comprehensive immigration reform, and surveys consistently show that majorities of Protestants, Evangelicals, Catholics, Jews, Mormons, Muslims, and Buddhists all overwhelmingly support reform. Mormons in particular have endorsed the Utah Compact, a statement of principles endorsing both strong border protections and the recognition that immigrants help fuel economic growth.
This Texas Faith Leader Sees Huge Opportunity Lost When Communities Don’t Welcome New Immigrants
Pat Kelly is the lead pastor at Fredonia Hill Baptist Church in Nacogdoches, Texas. In recent years, the church has seen large influxes of Hispanic and Korean immigrants, as well as Burmese refugees known as the Karen people. When Kelly saw their communities struggling to adjust to life in the… Read More
After Witnessing an ICE Raid, Restaurant Consultant Considers the Value — and Virtue — of Immigration Reform
Derrick De Lise’s job as a restaurant and hotel consultant is relatively drama-free — except for that one time Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) showed up. De Lise, a Culinary Institute of America graduate in Poughkeepsie, New York, typically spends six to eight weeks at a client’s business, helping to… Read More
Deep Faith Motivates Nancy Long’s Support for Immigration Reform
In 2015, Nancy Long treated a young bipolar man who came to the crisis center where she worked as a licensed clinical professional counselor. The young man wasn’t medicated properly, and his family feared for their safety and his own. “They were kind of afraid of him when he was… Read More
Immigrants Add Value to Local Economy, Says the Executive Director of Catholic Charities in East Texas
When the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy passed in 2012, Nell Lawrence, the executive director of Catholic Charities in East Texas, didn’t expect it to impact her life very much. DACA shields many young undocumented immigrants from deportation and allows them to work here legally. But Lawrence expected… Read More
Pastor Peter Matthews Says Congressional Republicans Are Out of Step with Their Evangelical Constituents
In 2015, when Pastor Peter Matthews went to Washington, DC, to urge Congress to pass immigration reform, he and his fellow evangelical leaders realized just how disconnected congressional leaders had become from their evangelical base. In one meeting with then-Speaker John Boehner’s advisors, Matthews and the other pastors made a… Read More
Building Bridges Across Cultural Divides
Kansas Romportl is a 29-year-old evangelical who attends a mega-church in Roseville, Minnesota. She believes that God’s love extends equally to everyone and demonstrates this belief by helping welcome refugees and immigrants. She teaches newcomers how to plant and harvest, and she provides translation assistance to immigrants who need help navigating… Read More
Immigrants Have Made Important Economic and Civic Contributions to Arizona, Says Head of Promise Arizona
Petra Falcon knows about pulling yourself up by the bootstraps. She got her first job when she was just 12 years old, working in an underwear factory, after her father left and her mother suffered a stroke. Today, she is the executive director of Promise Arizona, an immigrant rights organization… Read More
Personal Stories and Hard Facts Motivate an Evangelical Congregation to Push for Immigration Reform
Mike McClenahan, the senior pastor of Solana Beach Presbyterian Church, in the affluent North County region of San Diego, has watched his community’s opinions on immigration reform change dramatically over the last five years. Many of his congregants, including conservative businessmen who initially resisted the subject, have come… Read More
Story by Story, Pastors Move Skeptics to Embrace Immigration Reform
In 2007, when pastors Juan-Daniel Espitia and Tom Theriault began inviting congregants to learn about the immigrant communities in and around their church, they never expected to gain the attention of former President Barack Obama. Espitia had come to the 1,300-member Solana Beach Presbyterian Church, located outside San Diego, to… Read More
Pastor Advocates for Immigration Reform and Asks His Flock: What Does it Mean to Walk in the Shoes of Someone Else?
Rich Nathan, senior pastor of the Vineyard Church — the largest church in Columbus — empathizes with immigrants in this country; like them, he knows what it’s like to feel out of place. He grew up in a Jewish home in Queens and attended religious schools, but he always felt… Read More
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