Loving Our Neighbors through Action
There have been many conversations around St. Barnabas in past weeks that included the question and the statement, “What can I do? I feel like I need to DO something” in relation to the current social and political climate. The Outreach and Justice Team has surfaced one action step that is intended to communicate our solidarity with and intention to protect our immigrant neighbors. With the approval of the Church Council, you will soon see signage on the staff offices that reads “This is a private space” and signs in public areas imploring you to “know your rights.” The paragraphs below describe why we feel that this action step is necessary, and suggest how we all can serve as allies.
God speaks through Moses in Leviticus 19:33-34 saying, “And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat them. The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love them as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” When we, as Christians, reflect on these words, we hear the echo of Jesus’ own admonishment to “love your neighbor as yourself.”
On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order rescinding the Protected Area Policies passed in 2011 –a policy that marked churches, schools, and hospitals among Sensitive Locations where community members could access basic services and support without fear. With this recission, for churches to continue to be places for people to seek spiritual guidance without fear it is necessary to identify specific spaces that are marked “Private.” This allows for congregational care to be offered without fear of ICE agents entering a space and questioning or removing individuals without presenting a fully executed warrant signed by a judge and naming the individual.
While we do not anticipate St. Barnabas to be a target of such interaction, we want to be prepared to offer hospitality to the stranger who dwells among us should such an occasion arise. Such strangers might include a neighborhood resident, an individual seeking assistance, or a member of one of our rental partner organizations
In the event that ICE or Homeland Security officials do enter our property, it is important that we are able to respond in a consistent manner. The following are guidelines offered by the Minneapolis Area Synod that we ask staff, leaders, and members to follow:
If ICE agents show up at St. Barnabas looking to enter the building, staff, leaders, and community members should not talk with them. Immigration agents can only enter private areas with a judicial warrant or if they are given permission to enter. Staff should respond simply by saying, "I can’t give you permission to enter. You must speak with my employer." If pressed, they should only repeat the same: "You are not allowed to enter. Talk to my employer." Staff offices are considered private.
If ICE agents show up at St. Barnabas looking to enter the building, it should be reported immediately to the Pastors, President, and Office Administrator. It is important that an appropriate leader be present to review warrants, provide order and calm, and document any ICE activity. These leaders will be given further guidance on how to handle the situation.
Know your rights...the U.S. Constitution protects individuals from "unreasonable search and seizure" (4th Amendment) and gives individuals "the right to remain silent" (5th Amendment). Even if a judicial warrant is presented, staff and others present are not required to answer questions about the whereabouts of a specific person and they are not required to take them to a person named on a warrant. Running or leaving can be interpreted as a potential violation of immigration law, so it is best to remain calm and silent.
If ICE agents show up at St. Barnabas looking to do a "Form I-9 Audit," do not provide any document immediately to the agents. Employers have 3 work days to provide documents. In the event of an audit, it is important to consult with an immigration lawyer and have any requests handled by the appropriate church leaders.
It grieves us that this preparation is necessary, but we know that the fear and anxiety being experienced by our immigrant and minority neighbors being targeted is far worse than we are feeling at this time. We are called to follow Jesus’ guidance to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to remember that “to do nothing, when mercy is necessary, is to do harm.” What we can do now is to prepare to support our neighbors in the best way we can.
This is not the only step we can take, and we welcome further conversation about how to be the neighbors God calls us to be. We will offer an educational forum around this topic between services on Sunday, February 23rd. Additionally, feel free to reach out to the pastors if you’d like to discuss this further.