In a compelling letter, faith leaders of different religions nationwide unite to implore the governor to seek solutions and lead with compassion instead of using political tactics to bus migrants north

New York, NY (December 19, 2022) – Faith leaders of multiple denominations from across the country are calling on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to end his inhumane treatment of migrants who have crossed over the southern border into the U.S. In an open letter to the governor, more than 150 faith leaders implored him to take a more compassionate approach and urge Washington to provide meaningful support.

“We are a collection of faith leaders who are deeply concerned by your decision to bus thousands of scared, vulnerable, and traumatized asylum seekers to cities as a point about the border crisis,” the faith leaders write. “While we, too, are frustrated by the federal government’s lack of action on this issue, we are also disturbed by your actions.”

These faith leaders hail from more than 40 cities across the U.S., including New York City, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Detroit, and include Rev. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, Chairman of the Conference of National Black Churches.

“Use your powerful voice to work across the aisle, so that the federal government can finally create an asylum system that is orderly and protects people’s fundamental right to seek asylum when their lives are threatened,” the letter reads.

The letter comes as the Biden Administration prepares to lift Title 42, a Trump era policy that allowed the US government to expel migrants crossing the southern border due to public health considerations during the Covid-19 crisis. With the expiration of Title 42, thousands are expected to cross the border into Texas and surrounding states as asylum seekers

The full letter can be read below and attached.
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Dear Governor Abbott,

Today, we write with deep concern of your actions over the last several months in response to migrants crossing the southern border. We are a collection of faith leaders who are deeply concerned by your decision to bus thousands of scared, vulnerable, and traumatized asylum seekers to cities as a point about the border crisis. While we, too, are frustrated by the federal government’s lack of action on this issue, we are also disturbed by your actions. That is why we have decided to join thousands of people, organizations, and local elected officials from across the country to say we #ChooseWelcome.

Like you, we are all people of faith – in fact, it is our shared belief in a higher power that unites us across our denominations.  In moments of challenge, we call upon that power to give us guidance. And, when our time ends, we are fully prepared to answer to that power for our actions on this Earth in whatever comes after this life.

As students of our respective holy texts, we fail to remember where a higher power condoned treating the poor and scared like political chess pieces who can be moved around the country. We have come together to implore you to embark upon a more righteous path, one that focuses your energy on finding solutions instead of headlines.

Election season is over. You will soon be sworn in for a third term. Now is the time to work toward actual solutions rather than penalizing your fellow human beings who are stuck in untenable circumstances. We’re calling on you as a man of faith to reconsider your actions, and instead remember our shared values as people who answer to a higher power. We may differ on the finer points, but we do agree that life is sacred and precious. Every person that crosses the border into our country deserves to be treated with dignity.

This crisis is not the byproduct of just Democratic or just Republican issues — it is the culmination of decades of decisions, intertwined in a web of blame that seemingly has no end. Many of us have, however, spoken to the migrants who have gotten off your buses. They told us how they fled places like Venezuela, Haiti, or Honduras, where their choices were to die there or chase the promise of a better life in America. Because while the immigrants of today are crossing up to nine borders to the United States, they carry that same spirit of the people who arrived here two hundred years ago on European ships. They face the same issue of death there or struggle here. We ask: which would you choose?

The reality is that these migrants are already here. History and a higher power will judge us based on whether we fed a hungry immigrant today or left them to fend for themselves because they crossed the border yesterday. Communities have confronted this situation with kindness and compassion. In places like New York, where temperatures are dropping fast, organizations have focused on the fact that people need coats and a place to stay. They need food and a means to employment. Their children need to be in school. These organizations are focusing on the things they can control, instead of what they cannot. They are embodying values we all share: showing empathy, delivering charity, creating hope where there is despair, and bringing light to the darkness.

Governor Abbott, you can be a man of these values as well. We do not agree with the actions you have taken to this point, and many of us believe they are inhumane.  The way in which migrants have been falsely led to jump the buses, without proper processes and systems to receive them is putting people in danger.

But our shared faith teaches us about redemption. Our respective higher powers compel us to forgive those who make amends through action. We urge you to lead through constructive actions. Use your powerful voice to work across the aisle, so that the federal government can finally create an asylum system that is orderly and protects people’s fundamental right to seek asylum when their lives are threatened.

What we do in this moment will impact generations to come. Interacting with the Texas government is the first experience many of these migrants have with the United States. Among them are thousands of legitimate asylum seekers who will get to stay, whether you  like it or not. They will fill our congregations, start families, and take the jobs no one else either wants to or can work. They will join the more than 20 percent of American entrepreneurs who came here from another country. They will become Americans who will judge your legacy.

We hope you will choose a better course in the months ahead. This is a chance for America to put its values into action, and Texas has a unique opportunity to lead by example. As you begin your third term, we ask you to focus on working collaboratively with the federal government to meet the needs of Texans and those seeking asylum. We ask you to reach across the aisle to find solutions for what Texans need.

We pray you will end this inhumane practice and find a better path forward. You can call upon us for guidance on what solutions we have implemented in our own communities, and we hope you do. Our hope is to bring more people together, and to heal the wounds of this country so we may form a better union. Governor, this is an opportunity to rise above this moment. You can atone for your choices — the pain, confusion, and trauma your actions inflicted — by turning a corner on this crisis and working with us all toward a humanitarian approach. We hope you will hear God’s call for compassion.

Sincerely,

Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson Chairman, Conference of National Black Churches- New York

Marian Boyle Rohloff, West Side Moravian Church- Green Bay, WI

Brian Jones, Cross Outreach Ministry- Painesville, OH

Joanne Tenney, Individual- Escondido, CA

Reverend Lorena Parrish- Fort Washington, MD

Greg Petro, St. Rita Catholic Parish-
Racine, WI

Antonio Garcia, Agua viva- Las Vegas, NV

Douglas Kinney, St Elizabeth Catholic Church- Kansas City, MO

Rev. Ingrid McIntyre, Belmont UMC- Nashville, TN

Michael Potvin-Frost, Order of Franciscan Hermits- Alamogordo, New Mexico

Donna Brooks-Sanders, Southern Mission Missionary Baptist Church- St Louis, MO

Gregory Haskamp, St. Elizabeth- Kansas City, MO

Judith Ackerman- New York, NY

Alfred Flugence- Broussard, LA

Christine Payden-Travers, Retired Episcopal Priest- Winston-Salem, NC

Richard Kidd- Boardman, OH

Deborah Clemons, Bidwell Presbyterian Church- Brentwood, PA

Joyce Ellwanger, Hephatha- Milwaukee, WI

Elizabeth Darovic- Monterey, CA

Vincent Sheffer, St Elizabeth Church Kansas City- Kansas City, MO

John Feldhacker, Edgehill United Methodist- Nashville, TN

Cynthia Jackson, East Liberty Presbyterian Church- Pittsburgh, PA

Margaretta Smith Narcisse- Independence, MO

Karen Stickney- Lewiston, ME

Jerome Dillard, EXPO – Madison, WI

Jan-Paul Alon, Christ our Light –
Cherry Hill, NJ

Rashid Patch, Mevlevi Order of America- Oakland, CA

Rodriques Tate, Bidwell Presbyterian Church- Pittsburgh, PA

Bob King, St Andrews- Ann Arbor, MI

Nancy Ellingham, Newport, WA- Mercer Island, WA

Stephanie C. Fox-  Bloomfield, Connecticut

Katie Olson- Appleton, WI

Kristin Ziama- West Bend, WI

Johnny Fifles- Jackson, WY

Rev. Dennis Jacobsen, Hephatha Lutheran Church-  Milwaukee, WI

Lois Richardson- Ypsilanti, MI

Sister Keller, FSPA, DNP, MPA, Franciscan Sisters- La Crosse, WI

Rev. David Gerth, Metropolitan Congregations United- St. Louis, MO

Stacey Harwell-Dye, West End UMC- Nashville, TN

Jan Robinson, Fuerzas Unidas-Manteca, CA

Guillermo Trevino, St. Joseph’s- West Liberty and Columbus Junction, IA

Misael Avila, St Frances of Rome Catholic Church- Riverbank, CA

Cheryl Liske, Dominican Sisters of Adrian- Detroit, MI

Sr. Patricia Johnson, Sisters of St Joseph of Carondelet-  St. Louis, MO

Jennifer Gutierrez, First United Methodist Church of Los Angeles- Los Angeles, CA

Rev. Walter Contreras, Presbyterian Church- Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Ramon Bejarano, Diocese of San Diego- San Diego, CA

Martin Garcia, Saint George Church-Stockton, CA

Jeanette Mott Oxford, Epiphany UCC-  St. Louis, MO

Cesar Martinez, Diocese of Stockton-Stockton, CA

Gerald Roesch, Incarnation Lutheran Church- Milwaukee, WI

Richard Shaw, St. Matthew CME Church- Milwaukee, WI

Rev. Krissy Avise-Rouse, Epiphany United Church of Christ- St. Louis, MO

Michal Woll, Congregation Shir Hadash- MKE- Milwaukee, WI

Ginny Schrappen, St. Francis Xavier College Church- St. Louis, MO

Rev. Jaime Contreras, Clergy United For Economic Justice-  Los Angeles, CA

Joseph Ellwanger, Hephatha Lutheran Church- Milwaukee, WI

Joseph Jackson, Friendship Missionary Baptist Church- Milwaukee, WI

Joyce Cable, UU Church West- Brookfield, WI

Janice Vanderhaar, Pax Christi Memphis-Memphis, TN

Rev. Max Burg, Universal Life Church-  Chicago, IL

Rev. Dietra Wise Baket, Cenntenial Church- Saint Louis, MO

Jose Salvador Ledesma Perez,

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church-  Lathrop, CA

Darlene Triblett, Reformation Lutheran Church- Milwaukee, WI

Thaurra Stallings, Reformation Lutheran Church-  Milwaukee, WI

Andréa Gutierrez- Detroit, MI

Mary Duong, First Baptist Church of Maywood- Los Angeles, CA

Stephen “Cue”JnMarie, The RowLA- The Church Without Walls- Skid Row- Los Angeles, CA

Rosa Manriquez- Los Angeles, CA

Rev. Katie Styrt, First Presbyterian Church of Milan- Milan, IL

Christine Fahrenbach, Roman Catholic Women Priests- Aptos, CA

Rev. Jeannette Love, Catholic Church of the Beatitudes- Carpinteria, CA

Nick De Los Reyes, Mary Magdalene-Show Low, AZ

Alejandro Cuevas- North Hollywood, CA

Miriam Cantor, Temple Beth AM- Los Angeles, CA

Steve Neal, LIFE Gospel Ministries-Long Beach, CA

Aryeh Cohen, Shtibl Minyan- Los Angeles, CA

Mary Stancavage, Meditation Coalition-Los Angeles, CA

Jay Alhadeff, Temple Israel- Lakewood, CA

Sadie Sacks, Los Altos United Methodist Church- Los Alamitos, CA

Scott Fritz, Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church-Hawthorne, CA

Rev Jim Conn, Church in Ocean Park- Santa Monica, CA

Albert Kirk, Church of the Holy Spirit-Cordova, TN

Jan Seymour-Ford, Empty Moon Zen Sangha- Long Beach, CA

Ann Burdette, St. Luke’s Episcopal- Long Beach, CA

Sandie Richards, Los Altos United Methodist Church- Long Beach, CA

Rabbi Marc Dworkin- Long Beach, CA

Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels, Beth Shir Shalom- Los Angeles, CA

Dori Chandler, TI- Long Beach, CA

Reverend Mary Grace, Crowley-Koch-Mt. Prospect, IL

Joan Harper, St. Bede the Venerable- La Canada, CA

Kathleen Bellefeuille-Rice, Holy Wisdom Inclusive Catholic Community-Olympia, WA

Krystle Hart, Parish Long Beach- Long Beach, CA

Sarah Dresser, Renovatus- Charlotte, NC

Rev. Elizabeth Chu, Formosan Presbyterian Church Orange County- Garden Grove, CA

Jason Ashimoto, Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles- Rosemead, CA

Janette Ok, Ekko Church- Fullerton, CA

Myron Wollin, Temple Israel- Long Beach, CA

Rick Behrens, Grandview Park Presbyterian- Kansas City, KS

Rabbi Thomas Gardner, Riverdale Temple-Bronx, NY

Dr. John H. Boyd II, New Greater Bethel Ministries- New York

Rev. Al Cockfield, God’s Battalion of Prayer- New York

Bishop Ismael Claudio, Pentecostal Church of Jesus Christ of Brooklyn- New York

Rev. Jacques Degraff, Canaan Baptist Church- New York

Mrs. Jacqui Burton, President, Conference of National Black Churches- Atlanta

Dr. Carl Washington, Pastor, New Mt. Zion Baptist Church- New York

Rev. Patricia Baker, Star of Bethlehem Baptist Church- New York

Rev. Constance D. Knight, Welcome Chapel MBC- New York

Omarr Evans, Community Baptist Church- New York

Rev. Nelson Dukes Jr., Fountain Spring Baptist Church- New York

Rev.Torrence Robinson, Gethseamane Baptist Church- New York

Rev. Dollyann Briggs, Baptist Temple- New York

Rev. Julius Collins, Shiloh Baptist Church- New York

Rev. Carl Washington Jr, Pilgrim Baptist Church- New York

Rev. JoeAnn Waldon, Cornerstone Baptist Church- New York

Rev. Diane Harris, Antioch Baptist Church- New York

Dea. Michael Johnson, Mt. lebanon BC- New York

Rev. Anthony Eddy, Metropolitan Baptist Church- New York

Rev. Jeffrey Charles, New Mt. Zion BC- New York

Min. Deliaha Fitchett, Empire Baptist Missionary Convention- New York

Rev. Deliaha Fitchett, Empire Baptist Missionary Convention- New York

Min. Diana Harris, Empire Baptist Missionary Convention- New York

Rev. Geraldine Harris, Greater File Chapel Baptist- New York

Min. Carla Harris, Trinity Baptist Church- New York

Min. Glenda Crawford,  Empire Baptist Missionary Convention- New York

Min. Mabel Johnson,  Empire Baptist Missionary Convention- New York

Rev. Doris Mitchell, Empire Baptist Missionary Convention- New York

Min. Mary L. Branch, Empire Baptist Missionary Convention- New York

Min. Delois Bell,  Empire Baptist Missionary Convention- New York

Min. Velaria Grange,  Empire Baptist Missionary Convention- New York

Rev. Greg Merriweather,  Empire Baptist Missionary Convention- New York

Min. Christine Buchanaon,  Empire Baptist Missionary Convention- New York

Min. Berdia Pulliam,  Empire Baptist Missionary Convention- New York

Min. Patricia McDaniel,  Empire Baptist Missionary Convention- New York

Rev. WIllie J. Spencer,  Empire Baptist Missionary Convention- New York

Min. Anna D. Battle,  Empire Baptist Missionary Convention- New York

Min. Mae Williams,  Empire Baptist Missionary Convention- New York

Min. Freddie Small,  Empire Baptist Missionary Convention- New York

Min. Gwen Shepherd,  Empire Baptist Missionary Convention- New York

Min. Edith Wilson,  Empire Baptist Missionary Convention- New York