Faith Leaders Call to Protect Immigrants, End Criminalization, and Advance Just Peace Following United Women in Faith Assembly

For Immediate Release

Contact: DFrancisco@uwfaith.org

NEW YORK — Following the United Women in Faith Assembly 2026, May 14-17 in Indianapolis, Indiana, faith leaders from across Christian traditions issued a joint statement calling for the protection of immigrant communities, an end to the criminalization of communities of color, and a renewed commitment to diplomacy and just peace. The statement, led by Sally Vonner, General Secretary and CEO of United Women in Faith, is joined by clergy and faith leaders across denominations.

Joint Statement

As faith leaders from around the world, who gathered for Assembly 2026, we affirm a moral truth shared across our traditions: every human being is created with dignity and worthy of protection.

Across the nation and around the world, we are witnessing escalating attacks on immigrants, including refugees and asylum seekers. Families are being separated, church members are missing, neighbors are detained without warning, and communities are criminalized based on identity, origin, or perceived status. These harms continue even as federal courts review cases related to Temporary Protected Status, and as policymakers debate proposals that could affect long-established immigrant communities. Many families who have lived and worked in the United States for years remain uncertain about their future while humanitarian crises persist in their home countries.

These realities are deeply connected to a broader system of mass incarceration and the criminalization of communities of color. Our faith compels us to resist policies that separate and dehumanize our neighbors. We call for an end to systems that disproportionately target Black, Brown, and immigrant communities under the guise of enforcement. Recent votes within the reconciliation process highlight the ongoing tension between expanding enforcement and protecting human dignity. These debates underscore the need for policies that strengthen communities rather than increase detention or surveillance.

We call on Congress and federal policymakers to:

• Reduce ICE and CBP funding that harms immigrant communities
• Pass protections such as the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act to protect civil and human rights
• Protect sensitive locations, including churches, schools, and hospitals
• Ensure accountability for abuses of power and violations of human dignity
• Support stability for TPS holders and ensure that families are not returned to dangerous conditions

At the same time, we urge the United States to uphold international law, prioritize diplomacy, and avoid pathways that perpetuate prolonged conflict. Peace is not built through domination but through justice, inclusion, and courageous leadership.

We also recognize that militarization as a whole, including armed conflict, deepens the global climate crisis. A militarized approach to governance and infrastructure drives fossil fuel consumption and environmental harm, erodes human rights protections, and diverts public funds away from health, education, and renewable and just energy. At the same time, communities face rising costs of living and long-term health impacts from fossil fuel pollution. Ongoing budget negotiations, including those within the reconciliation process, continue to reveal the moral stakes of federal spending choices. These choices determine whether resources support community well-being or expand systems that criminalize vulnerable populations.

From Assembly 2026, we call on policymakers, communities of faith, and people of conscience to:

• Protect the rights and dignity of immigrants, including refugees and asylum seekers
• Advance policies to end the criminalization and mass incarceration of communities of color
• Safeguard protections for TPS holders and other long-standing immigrant residents
• Invest in renewable energy and community well-being over militarization
• Advance policies rooted in justice, not fear or exclusion
• Pursue diplomacy and international cooperation as the path to peace
• Center the leadership of women and directly impacted communities

Our faith teaches us that peace is not passive. It is courageous, persistent, and rooted in justice. As United Women in Faith, we are unstoppable in our commitment to building a world where every person can live in dignity, safety, and hope. Together, we will raise our voices, organize our communities, and advocate for transformative change.

Signatories

Sally Vonner, General Secretary and CEO, United Women in Faith
Rev. Stephanie York Arnold, General Secretary, General Commission on the Status and Role of Women
Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, Founder & Executive Director, Kairos Center, New York, New York
Dr. Mya P. Miller, Founder and Senior Pastor, Chosen Ministries, Cincinnati, Ohio
Rev. Gail Song Bantum, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
Dr. Jennifer Hockenbery, Interim Director, Women of the ELCA
Ragghi Rain Calentine, United Women in Faith Executive Committee Member, Millsboro, Delaware
Laura K. Wise, Founder, Content Wise Communications
Dr. Ashley Boggan, General Secretary, General Commission on Archives and History
Roland Fernandes, General Secretary, General Board of Global Ministries/General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
Rev. Brian K. Milford, President and Publisher, The United Methodist Publishing House
Rev. Jeffrey M. Campbell, General Secretary / Chief Executive Officer and Interim Publisher/AGS, The Upper Room Discipleship Ministries
Bishop Julius C. Trimble, General Secretary, General Board of Church and Society
Judi Kenaston, Chief Connectional Ministries Office, UMC Connectional Table
Rev. Lizzie McManus-Dale, Jubilee Episcopal Church, Austin, Texas

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Additional clergy and faith leaders from multiple Christian denominations have joined in support of this statement and its call to uphold the dignity, safety, and worth of every person.

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United Women in Faith is the largest denominational organization for women in the United States.