ELCA presiding bishop, faith leaders issue statement on children in detention

6/6/2019 1:10:00 PM

​CHICAGO – The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has convened ELCA ecumenical and inter-religious partners in a statement addressing concerns over the well-being of children who cross the U.S. border seeking safety from danger and threats in their home countries.

The statement follows:

"For the Lord your God is God of gods ... who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger..." (Deuteronomy 10:17-19).

"Do not let the hatred of people prevent you from being just. Be just …" (Qur'an 5:8).

Children coming to our nation for safety and protection are dying at our southern border while in U.S. detention. As U.S. religious leaders representing diverse faith perspectives, we are united in our concern for the well-being of vulnerable migrants who cross our borders fleeing from danger and threats to their lives.

A year ago we spoke out against the separation of families. Now we come together again to express our collective outrage and pain over the tragic loss of precious children, made in the image of the Divine. Carlos, a 16-year-old from Guatemala, died May 20 in the custody of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Wilmer, a 2-year-old, died May 14, also in the custody of CBP. They were preceded in death by Jackelin, Felipe, Juan and a 10-year-old girl from El Salvador whose death in September 2018 has just been disclosed. We remember them before God, pray for their grieving families to be comforted and commit ourselves to work for the humane treatment of all who present themselves for asylum at our border.

Our houses of worship and agencies have welcomed, engaged and served many migrant families that have recently arrived in the U.S. These migrants have left their communities to provide safety for their children and protect them from harm. Sadly, as a nation we have denied them safety, instead placing them in detention facilities, sometimes long after the mandated 72-hour limit. Many detention centers are overcrowded and lack sanitation, further elevating the risk of serious health issues for migrants already stressed and weakened by their journeys.

We believe our nation and its leaders have both the moral and legal responsibility on behalf of those who seek safety in our land. The U.S. has an international legal obligation to do so by virtue of having acceded to the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees and, therefore, must implement those duties in good faith. It also has an obligation to do so under its own domestic law, and executive orders should not attempt to set aside these legal responsibilities. The duty not to return a person to a state where they may face torture or other serious harms is absolute under the U.N. Convention Against Torture, which the U.S. has signed and ratified.

We urge the Administration to maintain its commitment to international law and defend human rights by implementing safeguards to ensure the safety and health of all of those seeking protection in our land, especially those children who fall under our care.

The Rev. Eddy Alemán

General Secretary

Reformed Church in America

Mr. Azhar Azeez

Director, Fund Development

Islamic Relief USA

His Eminence Archbishop Vicken Aykazian

Diocesan Legate and Director of the Ecumenical Office

Diocese of the Armenian Church of America

Senior Bishop George E. Battle, Jr.

Presiding Prelate, Piedmont Episcopal District

African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church

Bishop Kenneth H. Carter, Jr.

President, Council of Bishops

The United Methodist Church

The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry

Presiding Bishop and Primate

The Episcopal Church



The Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer

General Minister & President

United Church of Christ

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton

Presiding Bishop

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

The Most Rev. Glen Guyton

Executive Director

Mennonite Church USA

The Rev. Teresa Hord Owens

General Minister and President

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Rabbi Rick Jacobs

President

Union for Reform Judaism

Bishop Teresa Jefferson-Snorton

President

Churches Uniting in Christ

Mr. Anwar Khan

President

Islamic Relief USA

The Rev. Carlos Malavế

Executive Director

Christian Churches Together

The Rev. Dr. Betsy Miller

President, Provincial Elders' Conference

Moravian Church Northern Province

The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II

Stated Clerk

General Assembly of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Rabbi Hara Person

Chief Executive

Central Conference of American Rabbis

Rabbi Jonah Pesner

Director

Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

Bishop Lawrence Reddick III

Presiding Bishop, The Eighth Episcopal District

Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

Bishop Frank Madison Reid III

Bishop, Ecumenical & Urban Affairs

African Methodist Episcopal Church

Dr. Sayyid Syeed

President

Islamic Society of North America

The Rev. Phil Tom

Executive Director

International Council of Community Churches

Mr. Jim Winkler

General Secretary & President

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA

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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:

The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with nearly 3.5 million members in more than 9,100 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.





For information contact:

Candice Hill Buchbinder

773-380-2877

Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org