Presiding Bishop Curry Urges Humane Immigration Policies Ahead of DHS Vote
As Congress faces a critical February 13 deadline to determine funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ELCA Presiding Bishop Rev. Yehiel Curry has joined eight other Christian leaders in calling for immigration policies that are just, humane, and rooted in human dignity. Read the full letter here. Read the original post at ELCA.org here.
In a February 9 letter to members of Congress, the leaders express deep concern over aggressive immigration enforcement and recent incidents involving violence by federal immigration agents. They call for investigation, accountability, and justice, and urge Congress to enact reforms that reflect the core Christian conviction that all people are beloved children of God.
Grounded in Scripture, the letter opens with Isaiah’s call “to loose the bonds of injustice” (Isaiah 58:6) and Leviticus’ command: “You shall love the alien as yourself” (Leviticus 19:34). As we enter the season of Lent, the leaders remind Congress that Christians follow a Savior who identifies with the displaced and the vulnerable.
Key Requests to Congress
The letter urges lawmakers to:
Codify protections for houses of worship and other sensitive locations, ensuring that churches remain safe places for worship and community life.
Limit excessive funding for immigration enforcement, including additional unchecked funding for ICE.
Reaffirm restrictions against racial profiling and targeting based on language or country of origin.
Require due process and independent investigations into instances of violence or misconduct.
Ensure humane standards in detention facilities, prohibit the detention of children, and provide adequate access to medical care, food, water, religious practice, and legal counsel.
End the reinterviews and arrests of lawfully present refugees, protecting the integrity of the U.S. refugee program.
The letter states clearly:
“We also see this as a critical moment to legislate immigration policies that are just, humane and respectful of the dignity of immigrants who, like all people, are beloved children of God.”
For congregations across the Grand Canyon Synod — serving communities in Arizona, southern Nevada, St. George, Utah, and the Navajo Nation — this moment intersects directly with our call to welcome the stranger, defend due process, and safeguard the freedom to worship without fear.
As Lutherans, we affirm both the importance of public order and the equally essential call to justice, compassion, and accountability. Our social teaching reminds us that government exists to promote the common good, and that policies must reflect respect for human dignity and equal protection under the law.
Read the Letter
We encourage pastors, lay leaders, and congregations to read the full letter and consider how you may pray, preach, and advocate in this moment.
Read the full letter here. Read the original post at ELCA.org here.
In this Lenten season, may we be a church that loosens the bonds of injustice, loves our neighbors, and bears public witness to Christ’s reconciling mercy.
