CBF, Fellowship Southwest leaders welcome administration’s immigration initiatives

CBF and Fellowship Southwest leaders have expressed appreciation for President Joe Biden’s tone toward immigrants and gratitude for affirmative steps taken by his administration on immigration policy. 

“As Christians, we have heard Jesus’ call to welcome the stranger. In response to that calling, we as Cooperative Baptists will continue to witness the love of God to immigrants and refugees through our missions and advocacy work,” CBF Executive Coordinator Paul Baxley said.

“We will also work to strengthen the ties between immigrants and our churches for the transformation of our communities, in an effort to witness together the love of God among the nations,” Baxley added. “We must never forget that the church of Jesus Christ is drawn from all nations of the earth.  Immigrants can be our guides in faith. Christian missionaries have often lived and served as immigrants. They pray with us, worship with us and fellowship with us. They are our neighbors, sisters and brothers in Christ, made in the image of God.”

On his first day in office, Biden issued executive actions halting the construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, ordering the review of immigration agencies’ enforcement priorities and ending the travel and immigration bans for Muslim-majority countries.

“The United States should not discriminate on the basis of religion. Doing so violates our commitment to religious liberty and our history as a country of welcome. I’m grateful to see the Biden administration reverse this travel ban on day one,” said Stephen Reeves, CBF Associate Coordinator for Advocacy. 

“While these executive orders are a welcome relief to many of our neighbors, there is much work yet to be done in Congress to enshrine more just policies into law. CBF Advocacy will work with elected officials to find more permanent solutions to the numerous current crisis that face the immigrants and refugees in our midst.”

Biden also instructed his Cabinet to count noncitizens in the U.S. Census and to preserve and fortify the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA. According to Elket Rodríguez, CBF/FSW immigrant and refugee advocacy and missions specialist, Dreamers have endured almost a decade of constant uncertainty and unnecessary trauma. 

“We applaud the president for adopting a new policy approach that protects and validates DACA recipients. They needed to see that commitment from the Executive branch,” Rodríguez said. “But we Cooperative Baptists will continue to advocate alongside our partners to ask Congress to carve out a path to citizenship for the 700,000 DACA recipients living in our country.” 

The Department of Homeland Security also issued a memorandum pausing deportation of some noncitizens for 100 days and suspending new enrollments in the Migrant Protection Protocols program, also known as MPP or “remain in Mexico,” while emphasizing COVID-19 nonessential travel restrictions at the border remain in place.

The administration’s decisions on deportations and MPP provide important steps toward restoring decency and humanity to the United States’ activity on its southern border, stressed Marv Knox, coordinator of Fellowship Southwest, an ecumenical CBF network that encompasses the region.

“The previous administration implemented cruelty as a strategic tool to deter immigrants from seeking legal citizenship in the United States,” Knox said. “Not only did the policy fail to stem the tide of immigration, but it caused vulnerable people—whose only ‘crime’ was desiring safety and opportunity for their families—to suffer grievously and needlessly.

“While we believe national borders should be taken seriously, we also know reasonable immigration policy is key to enabling both migrants and our nation to thrive.”

CBF’s Advocacy and Action Team for Immigrants and Refugees updated its values and principles statement, first released in 2018, to reflect current realities. Some of the actions taken by the new administration concur with these values and principles.

“The foundation of our defense for immigrant rights is based on the belief that we are all created in the image and likeness of God. We recognize that our advocacy and our missional focus is framed by our work with immigrants, migrants and refugees,” said CBF’s FAMILIA-Latino Network field coordinator, Rubén Ortiz. 

“I am very pleased with the Biden administration for immediately addressing some policy obstacles immigrants and asylum seekers face in this country. There is still much advocacy to do, but we appreciate the administration’s initial approach recognizing that immigrants as members of our society. We will continue to pray and act for justice towards the least of these.” 

Protection of migrant children, safety and unity of U.S. communities, and integration of immigrant workers into the social fabric are among the new values and principles approved by CBF Advocacy. No group in society represents these values more than Dreamers, who were brought to the United States as children and are thriving in today’s economy, many as essential workers. 

“Dreamers who have grown up in this country and have contributed to the economic and social progress of their local communities for so many years, and especially those who are front-line workers now caring for the many who are suffering from COVID19, are worthy of our government providing a pathway to legalize their status and gain citizenship,” said Greg Smith, CBF missionary whose nonprofit, LUCHA Ministries, provides legal aid to immigrants in Fredericksburg, Va. 

“I am so happy to see that President Biden announced that he will introduce in Congress the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, which provides a pathway to citizenship not only for DACA recipients but also for Temporary Protected Status holders and undocumented immigrants.” 

If the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 is signed into law, the nation’s immigration system will be modernized and the country will be able to harness the strengths the immigrant community brings to the nation, Smith believes. The proposed bill also provides funding for nonprofit organizations that work with refugees to expand programs that promote their integration and inclusion in society. 

Kim and Marc Wyatt, CBF missionaries and founders of the Welcome House Community Network in North Carolina, have worked for decades with refugees in the U.S. and Canada. They feel positively about the prospects of this proposed legislation. 

“We are very optimistic about the Biden administration’s pledge to return to a humane and orderly plan for refugee resettlement in the United States of America. To this pledge, our flag has returned to the door post of our home. To this pledge, Lady Liberty’s torch proudly and humbly lights the way anew for the weary and persecuted displaced around the world,” Marc Wyatt said. 

“Now is the time for all of us to ask: ‘What may I do to help refugees who are coming to my state? How might I be the neighbor that the Lord Jesus requires of me?’”

CBF Advocacy members hope immigration reform can be attained during the 117th U.S. Congress. The Advocacy Action Team will provide reports on progress related to immigration reform efforts and notify constituents when advocacy will be needed.  

Since 2017, CBF’s Advocacy Action Team on Immigrants and Refugees has been advocating for the rights of Dreamers, immigrants and refugees in the United States. CBF Advocacy partners with the Interfaith Immigration Coalition and the Evangelical Immigration Table to defend the rights of the immigrants and the refugees in our midst.