As members of a faith tradition founded upon the belief that God’s Inner Light resides in each person, we seek to honor the worth and dignity of each person regardless of immigration status or national origin. Moreover, as we are rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition, we recognize the biblical call to care for the stranger. The book of Leviticus states, “When the alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:33-34). For these reasons, we believe that debates about immigration policy must be based on empathy and compassion, rather than fear.
We do not advocate allowing migrants to enter the country without appropriate inspection and screening. However, we recognize the uniquely challenging circumstances that bring people to this country and the valuable contributions they make to our society. Many people are fleeing countries with unstable economic and political situations as well as violence that threaten the safety and well-being of their families. These individuals do not have the luxury of waiting the 2 – 10 years required to complete the U.S. entry process.
Additionally, we recognize that many immigrants have entered this country as children and have grown up here. They have contributed to our economy through their hard work and have paid a variety of taxes, including sales taxes and Social Security, yet they have often been denied access to the services that their tax dollars are funding and are at constant risk of deportation.
Peachtree Friends Meeting calls upon our government to break through the partisan gridlock and enact meaningful immigration reform. Specifically, we seek an immigration policy that:
- discourages the need for crossing our borders without documentation or inspection out of a sense of desperation
- provides a fair and reasonable pathway to citizenship for the millions of immigrants who have contributed to our society
- puts an end to the fear mongering that portrays many immigrants as members of violent criminal gangs
- uses the government’s resources to arrest only proven criminals without documentation
- provides all undocumented immigrants with due process of law as required by the U.S. Constitution.
We unequivocally condemn the current policies of our government that cause fear and anguish by putting all immigrants at risk of deportation. We remind our political leaders that, apart from the First Nations peoples and their descendants, all of our ancestors and families were once willing (or unwilling) immigrants to this country. Throughout our history, we have been a nation of immigrants who have come to this country to seek political and economic freedom as well as economic opportunity. Our status as a nation of immigrants has always been considered one of our strengths. We pray that our country will once again celebrate the contributions of immigrants and honor the dignity of our immigrant neighbors as fellow Americans and children of God.
Peachtree Friends Meeting 