Dear Friends in Christ,

As Christians, we are called to embrace the stranger, to render hospitality to those who are most vulnerable, and to find Christ in all who come to us in need. We are commanded to love our neighbors as God loves us. We have promised at baptism to seek and serve Christ in all persons. Therefore we share the pain of those workers being rounded up by our government for lack of legal status. Their families are experiencing the pain of separation and uncertainty, and untold hardship is being inflicted upon those struggling to support themselves and their families in a land which often wants their labor but denies them basic human dignity. As their brothers and sisters, we are diminished by their suffering.

For much of last year, as our nation debated immigration reform, the Episcopal Church joined in advocating for legislation that would repair the serious flaws of our current system. A broad coalition of faith-based and other groups sought an immigration system that would acknowledge our nation's need for workers and create a system to: permit workers outside our boundaries to enter the U.S. as legal workers and seek permanent residence; support the early reunification of family members; and create a pathway to permanent residence for the approximately 11 million workers in the United States who lack legal status but have faithfully contributed their labor to our common good.  Unfortunately, the legislation we sought was not enacted and our flawed immigration system remains.

Had that legislation passed, we would now have a way of responding to migrants in our midst and those outside our country seeking to escape grinding poverty as legitimate workers in the United States, where their gifts would be respected. Instead, our government is engaged in an unprecedented pursuit of undocumented workers.  Punishment, and not reform, has regrettably become the official response. The Episcopal Church remains committed to the principles that defined our earlier advocacy efforts. 
 
I commend those persons of faith, within the Episcopal Church and beyond it, who are deeply offended by our government's action and who understand that the call to hospitality is the core of the Gospel mandate which defines our faith. We are called to find ways to protect and care for those strangers in our midst, who are often shunned by others. We must welcome these strangers in our own congregations and communities, and we must call upon our government to enact just immigration reform. Our call to faithful hospitality takes on special meaning during this blessed season of new life. As Christians, we are called to bring the Easter hope of new life to those who now live in fear and despair.

Your servant in Christ,

Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church