In the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Immigration Sunday is celebrated on July 6th this year.

This Immigration Sunday in the U.S. comes at a dark time. A lot has happened since day one of the Trump administration. Every day there has been news of a new executive order, new administrative rules, proposed legislation etc. Here’s a breakdown of just a few immigration related actions so far: 

• An executive order makes it easier to deport people using expedited removal, allowing the administration to deport people without due process. 

• The president has invoked the Alien Enemies Act to deport migrants without due process to El Salvador. 

• Ordering moratorium on the admission of refugees into the country.
• Revoking Biden era executive order aiming to coordinate federal government efforts to welcome and support immigrants.
• Ordering the creation of a migrant detention camp at Guantanamo Bay.
• Pulling all funding from refugee and migrant related federal grants.
• Allowing immigration enforcement to arrest people in schools, hospitals, and churches. 

You can read a more detailed analysis from the Innovation Law Lab.  

Accomplices vs. Allies and Our Call from Christ to Deliver Justice 

Now more than ever we need to stand with migrants in our communities. Christ calls us to stand for those marginalized in our society. He calls us to justice. King David in Proverbs 89:14 writes, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your [God’s] throne; love and faithfulness go before you.” Jesus also reminds us in Matthew 25: 

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world... 

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?... 

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” 

To be Christian is to have righteousness, justice, love, and faithfulness as the cornerstones of our faith. 

Christ calls us to do more than talk the talk. He calls for us to take action. An ally is someone who stands with the oppressed and speaks up for those who cannot speak up. Prayer and vocal support are important always. However, prayer and vocal support alone will not help those who are most vulnerable right now. 

What Christ calls us to do now is to step up. We often assert ourselves and reassure people that when -insert historical injustice- happened, we would stand on the side of justice and advocate for those marginalized by historical wrongs. The truth is, unfortunately, that in the historical context it was not enough for the perpetrators to keep committing the injustice. Injustice existed/exist because good people do nothing.  

It is also important to stress that migrants do not need a savior. Migrants are a part of us, our equals, and do not need us to baby them. They do not need someone to do things for them. They want someone who actively listens. What they need from those in privilege is to use their privileged in partnership with them. The reality is that the PC(USA) is a majority white denomination. We must be aware of the many perils the white savior complex bring to the table.  

 An accomplice is someone who uses their privilege and power in society to challenge the system that excludes people. We cannot have justice until the system that oppresses our migrant neighbors is dismantled. Our migrant neighbors cannot do that work alone. At the end of the day, people who are privileged by the system have a duty to eliminate the inequities in the system. Things are scary out there; imagine what it is like for our migrant neighbors right now. Our migrant neighbors right now need an accomplice who is not paralyzed by fear and willing to take action. 

Did you know that supporting migrants is embedded in presbyterian life? At the 2022 General Assembly the church declared that we were an accompaniment and sanctuary church. We must also remember that the presbyterian church was one of the leaders in protecting migrants from getting deported to their war-torn countries during the 1980s through the sanctuary movement. We are once again to be leaders in protecting our migrant neighbor. 

How to be an accomplice today

Here are some simple ways you can become an accomplice today: 

• Let immigrant-led groups lead the conversation about their futures. Do not exclude them from those conversations. When in a meeting ask yourself: is there someone who is a directly impacted immigrant at these meetings? Call it out if they are not involved.
• Find a local organization that directly serves immigrants and donate to it; many organizations right now are in danger of closing for good because the federal government has pulled funding to such organizations.
• Talk to your legislators even if they have said they do not support migrants in public. You have power as a voter to make them pay attention to what you have to say. Writing an op-ed is often a good way to get attention.
• Resist the urge to say to migrants that they can hide in your home/church. Currently, those are not viable long-term solutions. Ask the migrants if there is something you can do to make them feel better.
• Fund and create fundraisers to help pay the bond of a migrant in detention.
• Join an immigration detention visitation program. Be that person who hears them out and lets them know you care about what they are going through.
• If you see an immigration enforcement vehicle, take a picture, take note of the place, take note of the time, and send that information to a reliable immigrant rights organization in your area so that they can verify and disseminate the information.
• If you see an immigration enforcement action, take a video. If you are in a public place like a sidewalk and are not interrupting the action, you are allowed to record what law enforcement are doing no matter what they say.
• Do not feed rumors and unverified information about immigration enforcement. We do not need to spread panic. Always make sure to check if the source is reliable.
• Challenge friends and family members if they are spreading misinformation about migrants. Winning hearts and minds are very crucial. If enough people care about what is happening, then change is possible.