IIC Priorities for Biden-Harris Administration
Washington, DC – The Torah, the Christian Bible, the Qur’an, and the Hindu Taitiriya Upanishad are all clear: welcoming the “wayfarer” and recognizing every individuals’ God-given humanity are values to defend and extend.
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC) released “The Interfaith Framework for Welcoming and Supporting Migrants, Immigrants, Asylum Seekers, and Refugees,” a set of recommendations on immigration-related policy for the Biden-Harris administration. Together, these changes remove the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant, anti-refugee, anti-Muslim, and racial bias from federal administration, and begin to restore fairness and welcome to immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and their loved ones.
Covering issues from the 2020 Census to Workers’ Rights and Equity–and everything in between–the report offers detailed changes the Biden-Harris Administration must make as initial steps. Read the full report here and a summary here.
Peniel Ibe, Policy Engagement Coordinator with the American Friends Service Committee and Co-Chair of the IIC, said: “My faith is about tearing down walls and building communities. The IIC’s recommendations would begin to inject accountability, fairness, and morality into the administration of U.S. immigration laws. But these changes are not enough. Every day as we work to protect the rights and dignity of immigrants, we are reminded that this is a time of transition, not the end road. Our vision is one of a world without detention and deportation–in which our taxpayer dollars do not fund agencies that harm people, separate families, and torture communities. As people of faith, we have a lot of work to do. We must reckon with the racism and anti-Blackness that has influenced our immigration laws. Only then can we truly recognize and honor the dignity in every human being.”
Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and Senior Vice President of the Union for Reform Judaism, said: “Jewish text and tradition demands that we welcome and support the ger— the so called ‘stranger’ whose legal status was similar to that of the immigrant in the United States today. More recent history demonstrates all too well the consequences of turning away those in dire need. As a community, one that is made up in part of immigrants, refugees, and the descendants thereof, with a long history of sojourning in foreign lands, we are particularly sensitive to ensuring that the rights of noncitizens and citizens alike are protected by our nation’s immigration policy.”
Elizabeth Leff, Social Justice Associate at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, who coordinated the writing of this report, said: “I’m grateful to all of the leaders who worked so painstakingly to write this robust set of recommendations. To me, this report demonstrates our interfaith values in action. We took the moral beliefs we share across all of our religions–whether we are Jewish, Christian, Muslim, or of another faith–and used them to recommend public policies that respect all peoples’ God-given humanity.”
Ann Scholz, SSND, Associate Director for Social Mission, Leadership Conference of Women Religious said: “This nation has a long history of welcoming immigrants and sheltering refugees. Women religious have been blessed to be able to accompany migrant communities for a very long time. We urge the Biden-Harris Administration to restore our asylum and refugee resettlement systems, provide relief and reunification for families, end needless detentions and deportations, and reunite children with their families. LCWR will continue to advocate for just and compassionate bipartisan legislation that fixes our broken immigration system and we will continue to stand in solidarity with immigrants, regardless of their status, who labor daily to provide safety and security for their children.”
Stephen Reeves, Associate Coordinator for Advocacy of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, said: “As Christians we believe in the God-given dignity, worth, and human rights of all people. As Cooperative Baptists we hope that Christian values of welcoming the stranger and loving our neighbor inform U.S. policy. The recommendations contained in the IIC’s report are aligned with the core values and principles of our faith. The comprehensive nature of the policies proposed to the Biden-Harris Administration are the direct result of the breadth and depth of the dismantling process our nation’s immigration system has undergone in the past years. We ask the Biden-Harris Administration to restore our country’s welcoming spirit with a resolute commitment to building a fair and a just immigration process focused on our communities and the principle that all men and women are created equal.”
“We are called to welcome one another with love and compassion, regardless of place of birth, religion, or ethnicity,” said Rev. John L. McCullough, President and CEO of Church World Service. “This transition report reflects our moral call to love all of our neighbors and offers important recommendations for a humane, just, and equitable way forward. It is imperative that U.S. policies recognize the gifts, contributions, and struggles that refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants face–and ensure justice and protection for all. Every day, we bear witness to the inhumane and tragic consequences of our punitive and harmful immigration system. We see the plight of refugee families torn apart. In this report, we urge the new administration to restore and strengthen the refugee resettlement program, asylum protections, and family immigration and reunification–and end harmful immigration enforcement policies. We stand ready to serve as a partner to realize the promise of these reforms.”
“As the shadow of COVID lengthens and families, children, men, and women face increasing challenges to make ends meet, the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd especially raises up those who have come from afar and those who still are seeking welcome outside our borders. We are heartened that the policies of hate and destruction are now in our rearview mirror and we heartily recommend this framework of suggestions offered by the Interfaith Immigration Coalition to the incoming Biden-Harris Administration,” said Lawrence E. Couch, director of the National Advocacy of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd.
The document is endorsed by the following Members of the IIC:
American Friends Service Committee / Quaker ⚈ Christian Reformed Church Office of Social Justice ⚈ Church World Service ⚈ Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach ⚈ Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces ⚈ Cooperative Baptist Fellowship ⚈ Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries ⚈ Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ⚈ Franciscan Action Network ⚈ Friends Committee on National Legislation ⚈ Leadership Conference of Women Religious ⚈ Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns ⚈ National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd ⚈ National Council of Jewish Women ⚈ National Justice for Our Neighbors ⚈ NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice ⚈ Plymouth UCC Welcoming Migrants Committee, Des Moines, IA ⚈ Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team ⚈ Sojourners ⚈ T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights ⚈ Union for Reform Judaism ⚈ United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries ⚈ United Methodist General Board of Church and Society
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of over 55 national, faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual. In partnership, we work to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all refugees and migrants.
Follow us on Twitter @interfaithimm
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