Published: July 4, 2019
Minute on Migration for IMYM Gathering 2019, and Approved 6/27/19
Equality, community and integrity are foundations of Quaker belief. We also recognize that these testimonies are rooted in the Spirit of God. We affirm that there is that of God in every one and that the Holy Spirit calls us to treat the stranger, the foreigner, the immigrant with particular care and concern...”for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me...” Matt 25:35 (NRSV)
Therefore, as immigrants and refugees in our community encounter trials such as family separation, incarceration, internment and deportation, Intermountain Yearly Meeting is called to put these beliefs into action. We will support these neighbors in their daily lives, providing aid, companionship, friendship and safety in whatever ways we are able.
We affirm the right of refugees from all types of violence to apply for asylum in this country, including those whose lives were threatened by rape, domestic violence and abuse. We affirm the right of those seeking asylum to be treated with respect, dignity, and due process in a timely fashion during the application procedures. We each take the responsibility to educate ourselves to rely on standard documented information by respected reliable sources. We call upon the government of the United States to honor its legal obligations under the Refugee Act of 1980 and the 1967 United Nations Protocol on Refugees to provide protection to those who qualify as refugees.
We recognize that our national immigration system is in dire need of attention, funding and fixing, which includes an increase in the number of people allowed in legally. We ask that the Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement be held responsible and accountable through congressional action and oversight to follow International and U.S. Law(s). We call for a process that is humane and respects the dignity of all persons applying for legal entry or asylum, including women, LGBTQ people or people of color, and from places that don’t honor the standards of life, liberty and the security of person as stated in the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” (1948).
from Steve Finger, Flagstaff Friends Meeting (7/1/2019)