Washington, DC—Church World Service today expressed its concern over reports that President-elect Trump plans to scrap “sensitive locations” in upcoming months, granting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers more power to arrest undocumented people at churches, schools, hospitals, and other long-protected public spaces. CWS notes that rescinding such protections will prevent vulnerable neighbors from safely accessing aid from faith communities, healthcare providers, and other core social support systems.
“The right for all people to find safety, refuge and rest in houses of worship is fundamental to our nation’s history of religious freedom and our longstanding values. No one should face fear of deportation when going to houses of worship, seeking medical care, social services, at public demonstrations or taking their kids to school. Regardless of what policy the Trump administration rescinds or puts forth, faith communities will continue to look to our sacred texts and centuries of tradition to live out our faith by welcoming immigrants and protecting the most vulnerable among us. ” said Rev. Noel Andersen, National Field Director at Church World Service. “We must lead with compassion and love instead of cruelty or fear to keep families together and to ensure that all people are treated with their God given dignity.”
CWS’s covenant members and congregations have played a significant and historical role in keeping migrant and mixed-status families together through the National Sanctuary Movement. Eliminating protections for “sensitive locations,” or “protected areas” would create fear to access even the most basic, life-sustaining needs, jeopardizing the health and safety of our communities.
CWS calls upon the incoming Trump administration to keep “Sensitive Locations” in place as they did the last time they were in power, honoring the policies over a decade precedence through various administrations.
For more information or to speak with Andersen, contact media@cwsglobal.org.