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Sign-on Letter for Faith Leaders Print E-mail
Tuesday, 01 December 2009 19:29

(signatories updated 12/14/2009)

If you are clergy or a faith leader, please consider signing onto this letter calling on the US Attorney and the Secretary of the Interior to put an end to the ticketing and prosecution of humanitarian volunteers.

If you would like your name added to the letter below, send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your name and affiliation. Thanks for your support!


Dear Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar and US District Attorney Dennis Burke,

As faith leaders and clergy from a diversity of traditions, we all believe in common values of human dignity, justice, love of neighbor, caring for the poor and receiving the stranger/immigrant. We believe it is a moral imperative and our ethical responsibility to call out for justice on the border.

We are writing to you out of grave concern. The U.S. government continues to escalate the criminalization of both migrants and humanitarian workers on the U.S.-Mexico Border. This is happening through the continued use of Operation Streamline and the ticketing of humanitarian workers for putting out water on the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge (BANWR) by Fish and Wildlife. Humanitarians are being prosecuted for “littering,” a ridiculous charge to smokescreen the larger socio-political issues at hand. The greater crisis is that thousands of migrants have died in the desert as a direct consequence of the deterrence-based U.S. border enforcement policy. The U.S. policy of militarization and deterrence is in violation of international human rights laws. Likewise, the daily mass criminalization of migrants in “Streamline” hearings along the border is a waste of federal resources and an unseemly display of ritual humiliation of decent people.

On June 3, 2009, Walt E. Staton was found guilty of “knowingly littering” for putting out water on BANWR. He was sentenced on August 11 to perform 300 hours of community service. Currently a student at the Claremont School of Theology, Staton is driven by faith and conscience to uphold international human rights standards and is not completing the service hours. He hopes the courts will stand with him as he remains a committed advocate for human dignity and respect.

As faith leaders, we recognize the ongoing need to uphold the inherent worth, dignity and human rights of all people. Together we call for the United States government to make the necessary changes to its current immigration and border enforcement policies so that they are in compliance with international human rights laws. Until these changes are made we pledge our support:
  • For humanitarian initiatives that provide direct aid, including water, food, and medical care, to people crossing the US/Mexico border.
  • To halt the US court and prison systems from being used to criminalize and punish both migrants and humanitarians.
  • To end deterrence-based border enforcement that pushes migrants further into dangerous, remote areas of the desert leading to suffering and deaths.
  • For a just immigration reform that will provide efficient, lawful paths to work visas, family unification and citizenship.

Out of moral and ethical responsibility, we ask you to use your power to make a difference within a system that has caused so much pain and death. The time for change is now. Thank you for upholding human rights and for hearing our petition.

Sincerely,

Rev. Ben Larson-Wolbrink, Presbyterian Campus Ministry, University of Arizona
Tom Kowal, Mountain View Friends Meeting {Quaker}, Denver, CO
Rev. Gretchen Larson-Wolbrink, Presbytery de Cristo
Rev. Elizabeth M. Magill, Worcester Fellowship, Worcester, MA
Rev. Lee John Milligan, Church of the Painted Hills, U.C.C.,Tucson, AZ
Rev. Liana Rowe, Shadow Rock United Church of Christ, Phoenix, AZ
Rev. Randy Mayer & Rev. Delle McCormick, Good Shepherd United Church of Christ, Sahuarita, AZ
John Heid, Rose of the Desert Catholic Worker, Tucson, AZ
Rev. Dr. John Fife, Presbytery de Cristo
Rev. Gene Lefebvre, Presbytery of the Grand Canyon
Rev. Mark Adams, Frontera de Cristo, Douglas, AZRev. Kate Bradsen, The Episcopal Diocese of Arizona
Fr. Robert Carney, Diocese of Tucson
Rev. Stuart Taylor & Rev. Gusti Linnea Newquist, St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church, Tucson, AZ
Rev. Alison Harrington, Southside Presbyterian Church, Tucson, AZ
Rev. Brandon Wert, Presbyterian Young Adult Volunteer Coordinator ,Tucson, AZ
Rev. Suzanne Marsh, Unitarian Church of Harrisburg, Harrisburg, PA
Rev. Debra McKnight, First United Methodist Church, Omaha, NE
Rev. Allison Farnum, Fort Myers, FL
Rev. Tracy Hughes, United Church of Christ
Rev. George Sotelo, St. Andrews Episcopal, Tucson, AZ
Rev. Dr. Gil Stafford, Vicar, St. Augustine's Episcopal Parish Tempe, AZ
Rev. Ann Schranz, Monte Vista Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Montclair, CA
Tera Little, Pacific Southwest District - Unitarian Universalist Association
Pastor Manuel Retamoza, St. Andrews Lutheran, San Diego, CA
Wesley Menke, Our Savior's Lutheran Church, San Clemente, CA
Rev. David Aja-Sigmon, 4th Avenue Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn, NY
Rev. Loren McGrail, United Church of Christ, MN
Pastor Andrew Schwiebert, First Congregational Church of Pasadena, CA
Br. David Buer, Order of Franciscan Monks

Rev. Ricardo Elford
The Rev. Dr. Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook, Professor, Claremont School of Theology, Claremont, CA
Rev. Dr. Jeanyne B. Slettom, Brea Congergational United Church of Christ and Claremont School of Theology
Rev. Diane Dowgiert, Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson
Rev. Fred Plumer, President of the Center for Progressive Christianity
Rev. Dr. Kathleen Black, United Methodist Clergy, Professor,Claremont School of Theology, Claremont, CA

Rev. Dr. Mary Kraus, United Methodist Clergy and Professor,Claremont School of Theology, Claremont, CA
Rev Eva Cavaleri, Chaplain, Shattuck-St Mary's School, Faribault, MN
Rev. Kirsten Oh, Claremont School of Theology
The Rev. Kristin Krantz, All Souls Episcopal Parish, Berkeley, CA
Fidel "Butch" Montoya, H.S. Power & Light Ministries - Latino Faith Initiative, Denver, CO
Fr. Sean Carroll, Executive Director, Kino Border Initiative
Michael Sallwasser, President of the Unitarian Universalist Pacific Southwest District
Hna. Imelda Ruiz Silva, Misionera de la Eucaristia, Nogales, Son.
Rev. Israel Alvaran, Clergy Laity United for Economic Justice, San Francisco
Rev. Dr. Wolf-Dieter Just, Evangelische Kirche im Rheinland, Germany
Rev. Dr. Ken Brown, District Executive, Pacific Southwest District, Unitarian Universalist Association
Dr. Helene Slessarev-Jamir, Claremont School of Theology

(signatories updated 12/14/2009)
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