As the rhetoric surrounding immigration grows increasingly harsh, Michigan faith leaders and advocates gathered on the Capitol lawn to deliver a unified message: the treatment of immigrants is a moral and spiritual obligation, not just a political question.

The event was sponsored by the Michigan NETWORK for Catholic Social Justice Advocacy team and facilitated in partnership with Lansing’s First Presbyterian Church, St. Paul Episcopal Church, IHM Sisters of Monroe, and Strangers No Longer. The Lansing event was held in conjunction with events in Monroe and Grand Rapids.

Attendees walked from First Presbyterian Church of Lansing to the front lawn of the Capitol Building, where they heard from five faith leaders, each of whom addressed the topic of immigration by drawing on their beliefs, values, and perspectives.

Rev. Elijah Burton, minister at First Christian Church of Lansing, explained that the immigration debate is not just a political one, but a spiritual one.

“The Bible contains many commands, but one of them appears again and again: ‘Remember the Stranger.’” For me, that means that concern for immigrants and refugees is not a political first. It is a spiritual issue,” Burton said.

“The measure of a just society has been the way in which leaders and residents alike treat the most marginalized in the society,” Rabbi Ethan Bair, who serves as congregational life specialist of Ann Arbor’s Beth Israel Congregation, said.

Imam Steve Elturk, President of the Islamic Organization of North America, reflected on his own immigration story. He came to the United States fifty years ago in search of education, opportunity, security, and a better future.

“I was able to build a life here, raise a family, serve my community, and contribute to the country that became my home. And for that I remain deeply grateful,” Elturk said.

However, he explained, the reality for immigrants today is much different than it was then: many immigrant families live in fear of separation, detention, or deportation.

Similarly, the Rev. Dr. Laura Miller-Purrenhage elaborated that “when we see that our laws and policies do not treat people with dignity, love, kindness, and care, it is our moral responsibility to do everything we can to change those laws and policies.”

While the event was nonpartisan, several of the speakers alluded to the current administration’s approach to immigration, particularly the role of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the surge in detentions, and the conditions of detention centers.

Moreover, NETWORK Advocates pointed out that Congress is currently considering an additional $70 billion in funding for ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.

Attending virtually from Washington, D.C., Laurie Carafone, the executive director of NETWORK, urged attendees to see this prayer walk as an opportunity to support immigrant communities and “take [their] place with humility in the long arc of the civil and human rights justice tradition in the United States.”

“Sometimes we are called to embody joyful defiance,” Carafone said. “By speaking out when it would be easier to be silent, and when the signs of the time necessitate us, faith guides us. It guides us not as a theory or an intellectual exercise, but rather as a roadmap.”

Originally published by Michigan Advance, a nonprofit news organization.

Leah Craig

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Faith leaders rally at Michigan Capitol to defend immigrants’ dignity and humanity

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