by In celebration of Pentecost Sunday national leaders request meeting and seat at the table around immigration security & policing
Hispanic Evangelical leaders from four national organizations: Esperanza USA, the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, the Christian Community Development Association and Bread for the World sent a joint letter today to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kelly.
The letter was sent prior to the upcoming Sunday’s Pentecost celebration. “This Sunday marks the global church’s celebration of Pentecost. As Hispanic pastors leading evangelical churches and organizations across the country, we believe this symbolic celebration holds sacred principles on which we as a country should reflect in light of the present deportation priorities and ICE presence in our communities.”
Recent implementation of the February 2017 executive orders has invoked fear and separated families in the immigrant community. The leaders: Rev. Luis Cortez, President & CEO, Esperanza USA; Rev. Gabriel Salguero, President, National Latino Evangelical Coalition; Dr. Noel Castellanos, President, Christian Community Development Association; Bishop Jose Garcia, Senior Advisor for Prayer & Strategic Initiatives, Bread for the World ask Secretary Kelly that “courage and skill be applied to your efforts as you inform and enforce immigration priorities to ICE.”
Additionally, the leaders respond to violation of sensitive zones by ICE and their recent presence at a Hispanic Evangelical church in Sacramento on Mother’s day, asking Secretary Kelly to ensure “that sensitive locations have no ICE presence without warrant.”
Concluding, they offer themselves to Secretary Kelly “as a collective resource as you consider your implementation of the executive orders. We also request a meeting with you to dialogue about the pressing immigration issues that continue to invoke fear and separates families.”
