Friends in Christ,
In recent days, we have seen a marked increase in immigration enforcement activity in Southeast Wisconsin, resulting in the detention of at least 18 people in Milwaukee and Waukesha. While such activity is not unexpected, it is troubling to see masked immigration agents engaging in forceful detentions on the streets of our cities and towns. We have been working to make sure that all of our immigrant neighbors are aware that everyone who lives in this nation has rights to due process, even when those rights are not respected.
In this time of heightened anxiety, I remind us all to remain calm and compassionate. If you encounter what appears to be an immigration enforcement action, please do not interfere. You are encouraged to document what you observe, take video if you can, and report it to Voces de la Frontera at 1-800-427-0213. They will work to confirm whether what you observed was, indeed, related to immigration enforcement.
I also encourage you to check in on your friends and neighbors who may be feeling particularly vulnerable at this time. Even though initial reports indicate that this activity will be short term, lasting perhaps a week or so, and that the activity is focused on individuals with pending asylum cases or standing orders for deportation, it is likely that many folks will be feeling anxious and afraid, regardless of their immigration or citizenship status. Checking in on your neighbors and offering to run some errands for them can remind them that they are not alone.
Our immigration system is badly broken, and we need to engage in the challenging work to create a system that is compassionate, fair, and clear. I do not believe that the enforcement activity we are witnessing now is moving us in that direction, and I invite all people of faith and good will to reject the voices that use the tactics of fear, intimidation, and division and embrace the voices that embrace dignity, compassion, and peace for all of God’s children.
In Christ,
Bishop Paul Erickson
