A joint letter signed by 154 bishops of The Episcopal Church — including Bishop Stevenson, Bishop Harris, and Bishop Bourlakas — calls for accountability, restraint, and the protection of human dignity in response to the recent immigration crisis in Minnesota and across the United States.
The bishops express grief and righteous anger over state-sanctioned violence and ask a central question: Whose dignity matters? Grounded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the letter affirms that the answer is clear: everyone’s.
The statement urges faith leaders and people of conscience to pray, speak out, and support communities affected by immigration enforcement, and calls for independent investigations and the suspension of operations that erode public trust.
“Our faith gives a clear answer: everyone’s dignity matters,” the bishops write. “Safety built on fear is an illusion. True safety comes when we replace fear with compassion, violence with justice, and unchecked power with accountability.”
The full letter, in both English and Spanish, is available on the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio’s website here.