Portland, Oregon’s Multnomah Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends supports Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and associated plaintiffs in their legal challenge to the new policy of U.S. Department of Homeland Security to allow federal agents to take immigration enforcement actions within churches, meeting houses, and other places of worship.
Places of worship have a tradition of being safe spaces for al who want to come together in the presence of the Divine Spirit. The experience of connecting with the divine is strong when individuals can worship together without fear of abduction. The religious community is deeply harmed when any person fears to attend worship or does so in fear.
We have long supported immigrants in exercising their full legal rights. This has been one of our testimonies to the world. We now support and stand with Philadelphia Yearly Meeting as ti contests this abhorrent violation of the Constitutional freedom to worship.
