This week, the White House took aim at the Somali community here in Minnesota, cruelly disparaging and attacking these neighbors who have contributed so much to our state. The attacks also
included threats and now the deployment of a targeted ICE operation in Minnesota. This is just the latest in a pattern of anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy from the Administration, and we’ve heard from neighbors that they are heartbroken and angry. We know that these threats add to the already heightened fear, not only among the Somali community, but among immigrant communities as a whole. And we know that many clergy, lay leaders, and congregations are discerning how best to accompany their members and neighbors who may be under threat. For too many, this increased risk has become a daily reality.
Again and again, our faith and the ELCA’s social teaching call us to reject such cruel characterizations of our neighbors, to oppose unjust immigration policies and practices, and to show up alongside our neighbors who are under threat. We recall God’s command in Leviticus, “The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the stranger as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God” (Lev 19:34). The ELCA’s Social Statement “Freed in Christ: Race, Ethnicity, and Culture” states that “…the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will advocate for just immigration policies, …We will work for policies that cause neither undue repercussions within immigrant communities nor bias against them.” And the Social Message on Immigration reminds us that:
“Immigration, refugee, and asylum policies express who we are as a nation, influence the nation’s future character, and affect the lives of millions of people. We encourage our members, in light of our history and our ministry with newcomers, to join with other citizens in our democratic society to support just laws that serve the common good.”
In this moment, when our immigrant neighbors are facing increased threats and attacks, it’s important that we ground ourselves in our church’s social teaching, in the deep truth that we are bound together in community, and ultimately in the radical hospitality of the Gospel – in the knowledge that God loves us all and has promised to make all things new.
In the coming days and weeks, please check in with your neighbors and colleagues, talk with your congregation, and discern for yourself how you can attend to your community at this time. Many of you have already shown up at protests, as bystanders and observers at ICE actions, provided mutual aid and connected neighbors to services, or contacted your local and federal decision makers. This afternoon, Pastor Ryan Fletcher and I will join other faith and community leaders for a press event, standing together to affirm the dignity of every one of our neighbors. Together, and in so many ways, we can embody our call to love our neighbor. If there are particular concerns or opportunities for support that the Synod can share or amplify, please reach out to me or Nicholas Tangen.
I also invite us as a synod and as the church to lean into prayer – to pray with and for the Somali community in Minnesota, immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and those who have been displaced, and for God’s justice to prevail. As we settle into this season of Advent, as we wait for the coming of the Christ child, may we prepare the way with our love.
