How our faith partners are welcoming and serving immigrants
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B Stands for BiblesGood afternoon,

Earlier this year, the National Immigration Forum released a set of six
new principles

highlighting our deeply rooted values as a nation as we work toward
secure, orderly, and humane immigration reforms during this contentious
election year.

Our leaders and partners in the faith, law enforcement, national
security, and business sectors have long been working to exemplify these
values through their own work in their communities. One example of this
is Eric Costanzo, lead pastor at South Tulsa Baptist Church in Oklahoma.
He and his church have been welcoming immigrants and refugees to their
church and community for several years, serving them in many ways, such
as providing English as a Second Language classes. 

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Listen to Eric Costanzo talk about how his church welcomes their
immigrant neighbors. (Source: National Immigration Forum)

As you can see in the video, Pastor Eric and his church have been living
into the second principle we outline:

**Continue our moral leadership**

** 

**in the world as a welcoming and compassionate nation that offers
refuge to the persecuted****

**.**

****But South Tulsa Baptist Church is not the only community that
believes in this. Polling

released in February shows that there is increased support among
evangelicals for immigration reform that is compassionate and provides
opportunities to legal pathways for immigrants.

This recent polling also shows that more and more evangelicals are
looking to the Bible as they decide how to respond to immigration
issues, demonstrating nuanced views and a desire for more humane and
orderly systems that respect the dignity of immigrants. Bri Stensrud,
director of Women of Welcome, talks about this
while
addressing the third principle the Forum highlights, which calls us to

**h**

**onor the human dignity of all people**

** 

**through our words and actions****

**.**

Let's all seek to welcome our immigrant neighbors well in our
communities, especially as rhetoric becomes increasingly hostile and
divisive during this election season. Division and hostility are not the
ideals of our nation. As Eric Costanzo says, "As our faith compels us,
we believe we're called to love our neighbor. But we also think that
love and welcome are not just faith ideals, really they're American
ideals. [...] We hope that more around us will catch this vision, that
we would be people of welcome, we would be people of love and we would
do well by serving our neighbors."

Join us in supporting these important guiding principles

and advocate with us as we continue to work
towards compassionate immigration reform that demonstrates our values of
welcome and love.

Stay committed and hopeful,

Allison

**Allison Bassett**
Field and Constituencies Manager
National Immigration Forum 

**NEWS CLIPS TO NOTE:**

**EL PASO MATTERS:**Opinion: Gov. Abbott's actions on border puts
migrants at risk

**TIMES REPUBLICLAN:** Immigration bill on its way to governor for
signature

**THE HILL:**GOP putting vulnerable Senate Democrats on defense with
Mayorkas impeachment

**NEW YORK TIMES:**Appeals Court Keeps Block on Texas Migrant Law

**POLITICO:**Biden was planning executive action on the border. Now
he's gone silent.

**WASHINGTON POST:**Mexico vows to fight effort by Texas to deport
migrants under S.B.4

#

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United States
www.immigrationforum.org