December 2025 Update:

Since the beginning of the month, we have seen increased ICE presence and activity in our communities, with more than 400 people arrested. Leaders and congregations in our Synod are on high alert, and taking this into account as they gather for worship and ministry in the coming weeks. If there are urgent concerns related to ICE activity in your community, please contact Pastor Ryan Fletcher (or 612-230-3301) or Nicholas Tangen (or 651-808-7067). We will discern together what if any action is most helpful, including communication with conference colleagues and nearby allies.

We also continue to update the immigration resources page on the Synod website, so be sure to check it regularly, and let us know if there are resources that can be added. The Welcome Fund (Fonda de Bienvenida) is a new resource, initiated by the Synod’s Immigration Task Force, that will provide funds for communities supporting immigrants. Information about applying for these funds will be shared in January, but donations to grow this fund can be sent anytime to the Synod office. If you have any questions, please contact Nicholas Tangen.

“I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Matthew 25:35)

As Christians, the call to love God is tied closely to the call to love our neighbor – the hungry, the thirsty, and the stranger. In this time, when many of our immigrant neighbors, members, and churches feel especially vulnerable, we want you to know that we are with you. And we want to provide some resources and support as we all work together to love God and love our neighbor.  

In January, the White House began rolling out executive orders targeting immigrants in our communities and expanding the reach of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, delivering on campaign promises to target immigrant communities and launch mass deportation efforts across the country. The Administration also rescinded a policy that protected certain spaces from immigration enforcement, including schools, hospitals, and churches – a move inconsistent with the rights of all people to freedom of religion and undermining the ministry of communities called to love the neighbor, the stranger, and the immigrant. These moves are raising many questions and causing much anxiety for those most at risk, including some of our communities.  

The ELCA’s Social Message on Immigration reminds us that “…hospitality for the uprooted is a way to live out the biblical call to love the neighbor in response to God’s love in Jesus Christ.” Trusting that God is near us as we stand together, we draw on the words of scripture: “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,” (Leviticus 19:34) and “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25: 35).   

While there is a lot that we cannot control and right now, the world feels particularly out of our control, the invitation is to remember those things we can we control. 

  • We can slow down enough to breathe, focusing our attention, resting and eating, weeping and laughing. We can take care to pace ourselves for this marathon, avoiding frenetic reactivity and leaning into the steadfast and radical love we know in Christ Jesus. 
  • We can respond as our contexts necessitate: listening deeply, hearing our neighbors’ joy and pain, proclaiming the gospel, raising a voice, writing a letter, gathering community, resisting the numbing of apathy, amplifying joy, and stepping out in the name of love even when it calls us to do something beyond our comfort. 
  • We can show up - this can be a really isolating time for our immigrant leaders and congregations, so be sure to connect with your neighboring colleagues about how you can show up alongside them in meaningful and helpful ways. 

In his letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul reminds us that “…the body does not consist of one member but of many…If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it” (1 Corinthians 14, 26). We are church together, and as the Minneapolis Area Synod we will strive to support and accompany each other in love.  

Below are some sample guidelines and resources for congregational response should Immigration and Customs Enforcement enter your church.

The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law offers a Fourth Amendment Toolkit for Organizations

USAHello offers a Multilingual Immigration Guide that is updated weekly

  • We have heard about “know your rights” trainings and “rapid response” trainings designed for those communities most affected and for allies. If you are seeking a training, Unidos is a helpful resource. 
  • If you are aware of upcoming trainings and/or info sessions that could be helpful for leaders and congregations in the Synod to know about, please let us know. You can send info to Nicholas Tangen.

—-

—-

  • Global Refuge has created a video with updates on the current immigration situation and the status of their programming.

—-

—-

—-

From Teaching for Change:

  • In the face of the traumatizing ICE abductions and deportations impacting students and their families, we recommend these two picture books. They provide an opportunity for young people to talk about their fears. Without minimizing the dangers, they also suggest ways to cope as well as possible. Tengo Miedo (I’m Scared) is a bilingual workbook that can be used in schools, homes, and community centers. We recommend Until Someone Listens for its depiction of family separation. However, as with many children’s books, the young person’s activism is not portrayed in the context of the immigrant rights movement. We believe it is important for young people to learn about collective organizing throughout history and today. We Are the Builders by Deepa Iyer and We Care: A First Conversation About Justice by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli would be useful companion books to learn about the roles we can each play.

From Center for Law and Social Policy and National Immigration Law Center