National Association of Evangelicals President Leith Anderson, World Relief President Scott Arbeiter, Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Russell Moore, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference President Samuel Rodriguez and The Wesleyan Church General Superintendent Emerita Ambassador Jo Anne Lyon were among the Christian leaders, CEOs and law enforcement officials to sign the “Immigrants and Immigration Strengthen Us” statement. The statementappeared as a full-page ad in The New York Times yesterday.
It read:
Immigrants and immigration strengthen these United States, as they have since our founding. How we treat immigrants, refugees and their families reflects our commitment to the values that define us as Americans.
In line with these values, we believe the family is the bedrock of society and that we ought to look out for one another. People born elsewhere who believe in the United States as a land of opportunity and hope contribute to our country in ways both quantifiable and immeasurable. They grow our economy, protect our nation, and make up the fabric of our communities.
As we celebrate our freedom with neighbors, families and friends from all over the world, we call on America’s leaders once again to encourage citizenship for those who are eligible and want to pledge full allegiance to our country and to allow all of us, American by birth or American by choice, to reach our fullest potential.
America can be great only if we are good. We invite our leaders and our fellow Americans, across the country and on all sides of the debate, to engage in a constructive conversation that respects the human dignity of all of our neighbors and welcomes people of all faiths, no matter where you were born.
With this history and these values as our guide, we shall continue to work together as one nation, indivisible and strong, with liberty and justice for all.
You can learn more about the group’s effort to support immigrants on the National Immigration Forum website.
