It’s a pleasure for me to share the words of the Rev. H. Julian Gordy, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Southeastern Synod and chair of the Immigration Ready Bench of the ELCA Conference of Bishops. His guest commentary “Immigration Law Appeal Totally Wrong” was published in the Montgomery Advertiser on January 31.
Bishop Gordy’s piece covers both comprehensive immigration reform and the latest developments with Alabama’s anti-immigrant law, HB 56. It begins:
“A waste of taxpayers’ money” and “an affront to morality and common sense” are the kindest ways to describe the recent decision by the attorney general’s office to appeal part of a ruling on Alabama’s anti-immigrant law, HB 56, to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Alabama is one of the four states in the synod I serve. Our church and others have more than a little at stake here. After all, it is the communities and congregations of Alabama that feel the brunt of HB 56. It is our pews that will turn up empty and our neighborhoods that will lose their life if congregants and neighbors have to flee revived HB 56 provisions aimed at making the world a hostile place for anyone without papers, including children.
We’re grateful to Bishop Gordy for speaking out on HB 56, and for being a champion of comprehensive immigration reform! We’re glad he’s been a strong presence at the Lutheran Immigration Leadership Summit. You can read the rest of his piece by clicking here. Please show your support by Recommending on Facebook, tweeting the link, and leaving a positive comment.