Dear Pastors, Bishops, Elders, Priests, and Church Leaders,

We write to you as fellow believers who share a common commitment to human dignity, compassion, and justice.  We address you with respect for the important role Christian churches play in Alabama’s moral and civic life, and with concern about the growing distance between our shared values and the reality facing immigrant families in our communities today.

Across Alabama and the rest of the United States, immigrant families, many of whom worship in your churches, work alongside us, and raise their children here, are living in fear.  Parents worry that routine acts such as taking a child to school or going to the grocery store could result in the sudden separation of their families.  Imagine how it would feel if a law-abiding family member or friend were taken away by masked officials without explanation or due process.  For many families, this fear is not abstract.  It is their daily lived experience.

Our faith traditions converge on a simple moral truth: every person has inherent worth.  Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings call believers to love their neighbors as themselves.  Many ethical traditions, religious and secular alike, affirm that a just society is measured by how it treats those with the least power.  When immigrants are dehumanized, treated unjustly, or made to feel unwelcome, silence from religious and moral leaders carries weight.

Christian churches have long shaped conscience and public life in Alabama, one of the most religious states in the nation.  In this historic moment, we urge you to stand visibly and unequivocally for the humane treatment of immigrants.  Speak from the pulpit, educate congregations, accompany affected families, and advocate for policies and practices grounded in compassion.  These actions reflect values that transcend theology and unite our communities.

As Jesus teaches in the Gospel of Matthew, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:40).”  We offer this scripture in the spirit of respect, knowing its moral force resonates far beyond Christian communities.  May it guide all of us toward action rooted in our shared humanity.

In love,
The Quakers of Alabama
-Birmingham Friends Meeting
-Huntsville Friends Meeting