STATEMENT ON IMMIGRATION, ASYLUM, AND THE RIGHT TO PEACEABLY ASSEMBLE

STATEMENT ON IMMIGRATION, ASYLUM, AND THE RIGHT TO PEACEABLY ASSEMBLE (January 22, 2026)

It is the mission of the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee to build relationships among people of faith to promote greater understanding, dignity, and respect, and to advocate for the inclusion and acceptance of all.[i] Our diverse faith traditions teach us to welcome our brothers and sisters with love and compassion regardless of their place of birth,[ii] and we stand together to “preserv[e] the dignity of every person and the solidarity of the human community.”.[iii]

We consider the exploitation of human beings, the separation of families, and the use of violence and intimidation, to offend the human dignity not only of the oppressed but the oppressor. Apart from the Native Americans, all racial and ethnic groups are immigrants to the United States. Waves of people arrived at different times – some willingly, some unwillingly - from far and varied backgrounds to forge a unique experiment. Some have been oppressed, while others have been favored. The struggle continues to the present day as race, ethnicity, religion, and immigration remain topics of deep passion in our society. However, during this time of deep disagreement, we call for civility and mutual respect.

We also call for our society to respect the values upon which it was founded, whether from  our individual religious traditions or the guiding documents of this country. The rights of all people, including neighbors, immigrants and asylum-seekers, to humanitarian treatment is explicit in our national foundation, and our international treaty obligations. In a soaring statement that sums up our aspirations even as we still struggle towards its fulfillment, The Declaration of Independence states that all human beings are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The United States is also a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which in Article 14(1), provides, “Everyone has the right to seek and enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.” Further, the Constitution of the United States in its First Amendment guarantees our rights of freedom of speech and “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Every religious tradition holds some form of “The Golden Rule” in its teachings.[iv] Whether we are taught to say, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor” or to say, “Do to others as you would have them do to you” or to say, “Love for mankind what you love for yourself”, let us commit to treat each other with the dignity and civility that we would wish for ourselves.

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The Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, founded in 1970, is an organization of 22 faith organizations in the Milwaukee area.