We're Faith Leaders Calling for Conscience in the U.S. Senate

Newsweek

3 days ago

As pastors and spiritual leaders, we sit with families in tears, fearing they will be separated from their children. From El Paso to Miami, Catholic parishes to Southern Baptist churches and beyond, our faith communities are filled with long-settled immigrant families now living in fear.
Without creating panic, we must acknowledge that these fears are real—and act now to prevent lasting harm.
The Trump administration's efforts to end temporary protected status and humanitarian parole for approximately two million people have put many immigrants with legal status at risk of becoming undocumented. At the same time, ICE is targeting individuals and families who have lived peacefully in our communities for years, often decades, for detention and deportation.
The budget reconciliation bill passed by the House and now before the Senate could drastically escalate these harms. It includes $45 billion for the construction of new detention centers, over $25 billion to support stepped-up enforcement and deportation operations, and unprecedented fees—including a combined $8,500 before a family member or other safe sponsor could begin to care for an unaccompanied child. This bill would effectively triple annual spending on ICE detention facilities and could lead to the indefinite detention of families, as well as the expedited removal of unaccompanied children without any access to legal assistance. We find these aspects of the bill—which pave the way for separating, arresting, detaining, deporting, and penalizing vulnerable immigrant children and families—to be morally objectionable.
These measures do not reflect the values we uphold as Christians or as Americans. Detention centers are no place for children. They expose young people to unsafe conditions, inadequate medical care, limited access to education, and psychological trauma. At least nine people have died in ICE custody in 2025—a chilling reminder of the dangers these facilities can pose.
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 18: People gather at a protest and vigil after a morning ICE raid in Pasadena on June 18, 2025 in Pasadena, California.
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 18: People gather at a protest and vigil after a morning ICE raid in Pasadena on June 18, 2025 in Pasadena, California.We do not oppose the legitimate goals of promoting public safety and regulating immigration. However, despite claims that immigration enforcement would focus on individuals who have criminal records, the reality has been different. Between January 26 and March 23, the number of people without criminal convictions or charges arrested by ICE increased fivefold. With border crossings at historic lows, families with deep community roots will increasingly become the focus of enforcement.
Our faith calls us to protect children and families, treat migrants and refugees with compassion, and uphold the dignity of every person because each of us is made in the image of God. These are not partisan positions—they are Christian imperatives. A recent report, "One Part of the Body: The Potential Impact of Deportations on American Christian Families," makes this truth clear: "If even a fraction of those vulnerable to deportation are actually deported, the ramifications are profound—for those individuals, of course, but also for their U.S.-citizen family members and, because when one part of the body suffers, every part suffers with it, for all Christians."
We call on senators of both parties to exercise moral courage, and to consider how well these important policy decisions respect human life and dignity, rather than political expediency. Reject the current enforcement-only approach to immigration that will lead to family separation and deny communities the vital contributions of immigrants. Ensure that the final budget reconciliation bill does not include new funding that could be used by ICE to make families the focus of immigration enforcement and subject them to inhumane detention conditions. Eliminate the unjust fees proposed that would hinder family reunification and undermine our legal immigration system.
George Washington is said to have described the Senate as a saucer that "cools" the hot tea of the House. In this moment, the Senate must live up to that calling—not just as a check on rash legislation, but as a defender of the common good.
Most Rev. Mark J. Seitz is bishop of El Paso, Texas and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration. Dr. Keny Felix is senior pastor of Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church in Miami Gardens, Florida and president of the Southern Baptist Convention National Haitian Fellowship.
The views expressed in this article are the writers' own.