A Year of Upheaval
Over the past year, the American immigration system has been dramatically reshaped. Refugees who had undergone years of vetting remain stranded overseas after the Trump administration suspended processing and resettlement for most individuals fleeing persecution. During routine immigration court check-ins, enforcement authorities have detained longtime community members with pending cases, often disappearing parents, co-congregants, employees, and neighbors. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ended decades-old policies to guide enforcement at or near sensitive locations–our houses of worship, our schools, and our courthouses.
An unchecked cycle of apprehension, detention, and deportation has taken hold, often without meaningful due process. All supported by an astounding and unprecedented $170 billion investment, giving American immigration enforcement agencies more money than the militaries of most nations. The systemic violence of the immigration system reached a fever pitch in recent months, illustrating the urgent need for Congress to take action and protect American communities.
A History of Systemic Violence Reaches New Heights
Our immigration enforcement apparatus has a long history of abuse, and it is being expanded to unprecedented heights. Fears about what it might do came to fruition when Renee Good and Alex Pretti were shot dead for exercising their First Amendment rights. While disturbing and tragic, these killings are not isolated and reflect the systemic malpractice that has defined immigration enforcement for years.
Reports of abuse across the federal immigration system have been widespread: immigrants in detention left with wounds untreated, Border Patrol agents deliberately striking migrants with their vehicles, and children in detention reporting being kicked, punched, and verbally abused. Each complaint represents the denial of the Light inherently beloved in the eyes of the Divine.
In 2025, this system of violence resulted in the deadliest year for individuals in immigration detention in two decades with 31 deaths. Already this year, 13 individuals have died in custody. Despite these alarming trends and hundreds of credible reports of human rights abuses, the U.S. federal government is spending billions to convert warehouses across the country into immigration detention centers even as the system demonstrates a profound disregard for human life.
Faith in Action
As a Quaker organization, FCNL is called to challenge laws and practices that are unjust and violate the core belief that God lives in us all. When U.S. laws and authorities justify violence and deny human dignity and fundamental rights, this nation dishonors these divine truths. FCNL advocates are showing up in a spirit of witness and accountability to ensure U.S. immigration policy prioritizes the security of all under this nation’s jurisdiction.
Our Advocacy Corps Organizers across twelve states have worked in solidarity with their local communities to lobby Congress to end policies rooted in violence that harm refugees, threaten undocumented communities, and disrupt everyone’s access to sensitive locations. Advocacy from Campus Chapters and Diaspora Organizers have gained the attention of their legislators and the media. Knowing there’s no place for war at home or abroad, Advocacy Teams are pushing for guardrails to end state violence and to protect the core spaces in our communities. F/friends delivered hundreds of letters to key legislators on International Migrants Day, calling for fair, humane treatment of immigrant communities. Our task is not easy, but the FCNL community is working with purpose.
A Call for Protection of Our Communities
Robust oversight is necessary to rein in out-of-control agencies and prevent the loss of more life. Militarized enforcement has no place where people gather to pray, seek care, or learn. Congress must codify clear guidelines for enforcement around sensitive locations. By safeguarding civil liberties, including the right to pray without fear, these guidelines would also repair the damage to community trust caused by indiscriminate raids on essential institutions.
Congress is at a critical juncture. DHS remains shut down and unfunded for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 while lawmakers have simultaneously begun the process of appropriating funds for FY 2027. As Congress negotiates funding for DHS on these parallel tracks, legislators cannot abdicate their responsibility for oversight: the immigration enforcement practices of the last year cannot receive another penny. Congress must legislate substantive guardrails that protect our communities, affirming the inherent dignity in every person and keeping our communities safe, free, and welcoming.
