Hundreds of MN Clergy Urge Congressional Delegation to Remove ICE from the State
The Honorable Amy Klobuchar
The Honorable Tina Smith
The Honorable Brad Finstad
The Honorable Angie Craig
The Honorable Kelly Morrison
The Honorable Betty McCollum
The Honorable Ilhan Omar
The Honorable Tom Emmer
The Honorable Michelle Fischbach
The Honorable Pete Stauber
To our Congressmembers and Senators:
We are faith leaders representing communities across Minnesota. Our faith traditions are not the same, but they’re united by a commitment to the human dignity and worth that we all share in common, regardless of where someone comes from, what they look like, or where they live.
On Wednesday, Jan. 7, an ICE agent violated that commitment when he murdered a woman, Renee Nicole Macklin Good, while she bravely stood witness to their assault on her immigrant neighbors. We say her name, and honor her memory. Like so many of our fellow Minnesotans, we grieve for her and her loved ones. And we know that this horrific incident is not an aberration. For weeks, ICE and other federal law enforcement entities have terrorized our immigrant communities, childcare centers, small business owners, Muslim religious leaders, and children and parents trying to go to school.
Nothing will bring back Renee, but now is the time for responsibility and accountability. As faith leaders, we urge you to:
Call for an immediate end to the ICE “surge” into MN and for ICE to leave the state.
Demand accountability for the officer who shot and killed Renee Good. He should be arrested and charged.
As Members of Congress, use the power that you have to hold the Administration accountable.
Our communities are suffering. We have seen and felt this pain from members of our places of worship, and as Wednesday showed, the current ICE surge directly threatens the lives of our fellow Minnesotans. Families are afraid to leave their homes to go to the grocery store or take their children to school. Workers, regardless of citizenship status, are missing shifts because they don’t know if they’ll be grabbed waiting at the bus stop or off the street just because of how they look. Childcare centers are closing because they are receiving threats and harassment.
In times of crisis, our faith traditions and sacred texts call on us to act, not only in words but in deeds. They call on us to care for those at greatest risk, to stand up against injustice and work for the needs of our communities. Sadly, those of us in Minnesota, and especially in the Twin Cities, have lived through too many moments of crisis in the last six years. We know what injustice looks like, and we know it means to take action.
We write to you today urging you to recognize what is happening here, and to lead not just with words but with action. Use the power that the people of Minnesota have invested in you as Members of Congress to call for responsibility and accountability.
Signed,
Rev. Dr. Tanya Sadagopan, Minneapolis
Rev. Beth Buckwalter-Miller, Spicer
Reverend Justin A Grimm, Saint Paul
Bishop Jen Nagel, Minneapolis
Rev. Andrew Davis, Saint Peter
Nicholas Tangen, Minneapolis
Richard Blood, Duluth
Kathleen Chatelaine, Northfield
Rev. Matt Larson, Red Wing
Rev. Tami L. Groth, Eyota
Rev. Jenna Couch, Mankato
Rev. Liz Rossing, Cleveland
Pastor Ashley Kuhlman, Waseca
Rev. Quinlan Koch, Red Wing
Pastor Matthew J. White, Austin
Rev. Peter Carlson Schattauer, Minneapolis
Rev. Kent Narum, Saint Peter
Rev Barbara Streed, Faribault
Rev. Benjamin A. Loven, Rochester
Rev. David Berg, Rochester
Pastor Clark Baldwin, Owatonna
Rev. Marla Rotman, Rochester
Rev. Emily Carson, Rochester
Rev. Drew Yackel, Northfield
Rev. D.J. Chatelaine, Kenyon
Pastor Corrine Haulotte, Winona
Rev. Dan Doering, Rochester
Rev. Sarah Krolak, Waseca
Rev. Laura Messer, Minneapolis
Rev. Lisa Janke, Rochester
Rev. Marcia Pedersen, Austin
Rev. Tim Rotman, Rochester
Timothy J. Maybee, Cannon Falls
Patricia Ann West Hinkie, Lanesboro
Rev. LaDonna Thomas, Mankato
Deacon Kristine Oppegard, Owatonna
Rev. Shelly Bliesmer Olson, Mankato
Rev. Shawn Brooks, St. Charles
Rev. Henry Burt, PhD, Northfield
Pastor Trish Reedstrom, New Richland
Rev. Jacie Richmond, Mankato
Rev. Paul Graham, Northfield
The Rev. Shelley Cunningham, Rochester
Rev. Dr. Carl-Eric Gentes, Rochester
Rev. Erin Koster, St. Louis Park
Rev. Dr. Justin Lind-Ayres, Minneapolis
Rev. Anna Helgen, Bloomington
Reverend Elizabeth Felt, Maple Grove
Rev. Dr. Elisabeth Johnson, Saint Paul
Deacon Savannah Olaphson, Eden Prairie
Rev. Ryan Fletcher, Minneapolis
Pastor Colin Grangaard, Brooklyn Park
The Rev. Dr. Christopher Hagen, Minneapolis
Reverend Elizabeth Hermeier, Golden Valley
Rev. Jay Carlson, Minneapolis
Rev. Joe A. Larson, Edina
Pastor Siri Strommen, Bloomington
Rev. Kristin Dybdal (ELCA), Edina
Pastor Karen Peterson, Myrtle/Glenville
Reverend Katie Chatelaine-Samsen, Minneapolis
The Rev. Daniel Ruth, Minneapolis
Rev. Jonathan Buuck, Minneapolis
Pastor Melissa Pohlman, Minneapolis
Rev. Drew Rindfleisch, Columbia Heights
Pastor Gretchen Rode, New Hope
Rev. Rebecca von Fischer, Minneapolis
The Rev. Pam Fickenscher, Northfield
Rev. Catherine Malotky, Minnetonka
The Reverend Susan Debner, Minneapolis
Pastor Sally Ankerfelt, Minneapolis
Rev Natalia Terfa, Edina
The Rev. Norma Malfatti, Plymouth
Paul Thompson, Rochester
Rev. Maria Anderson-Lippert, Minneapolis
Dr. Mark Tranvik, Saint Paul
Rev. Michelene Verlautz, Arden Hills
Rev. Melissa Maltman, Champlin
Rev. Susan Weaver, Edina
Rev. Andrea Roske-Metcalfe, Diamond Lake Lutheran Church, Minneapolis
Rev. Chad Brekke, Chaska
Deacon Nancy Olson, Minneapolis
Alice Woodard, Plymouth
Joanne Sorenson, Saint Paul
Rev. Mary Fiel, Albert Lea
Rev. James L Page, II, Ham Lake
Rev. Dr. Jeanette J. Bidne, Kiester
Pastor David Weeks, Northfield
Rev. Timothy Bowman, Stewartville
Ret. Pastor Glen T. Wheeler, Minneapolis
Rev. Kathryn A Ostlie, Saint Paul
Rev. Erik Haaland, Minneapolis
Dustin Haider, Kenyon
Rev. Cindy Mueller, Buffalo
Rev. Dr. Jeff Palmer, Buffalo
Rev. Allan Negstad, Pastor Emeritus, Crystal
Rev. Anne Thielke-Veldhuisen, Marshall
Rev Deaconess Diane Greve, Minneapolis
Pastor Kate Reuer Welton, Minneapolis
Rev. Lisa Carlson, Owatonna
Rev. Laura Laughlin, Chaska
Pastor Jill Rode, Saint Paul
Pastor Joseph G. Crippen, Minneapolis
Rev. Jane McBride, Minneapolis
Rev. Anders E. Nelson, Mabel
Scott Charlesworth, Saint Paul
Rev. Dr. Justin Sabia-Tanis, Golden Valley
Rev. Brian Gutzmann, Minneapolis
Pastor Stephanie Friesen, Minneapolis
Rev. Mary Kay Sauter, Minneapolis
The Rev. Ali C. Ferin, Roseville
Rev. Natalia Terfa, Edina
Rabbi Michaela Brown, Minneapolis
Rev. Brad Froslee, Roseville
Rev. Peter Nycklemoe, Minneapolis
Rev. Ben Connelly, Minneapolis
Rev. Daniel Adolphson, Minneapolis
Rev. Orville Sauter, Maple Grove
Rev. Jūken Zach Fehst, Saint Paul
Judith Lies, Minneapolis
Rev. Holly Johnson, Minneapolis
Lori Zook-Stanley, Minneapolis
Rev. Phyllis Zillhart , Minneapolis
Rev Liesl Spitz, Saint Paul
Rev. Danielle Jones, Wayzata Community Church
Margaret Mary Kelly, Minneapolis
Rev. Dustin Moretz, Wayzata
Pastor Bryan Odeen, Minneapolis
Patrice Koelsch, Minneapolis
Rev. Doug Mitchell, Minneapolis
Rev. Sosan Theresa Flynn, Saint Paul
Reverend Steve Wiens, Wayzata Community Church
Rev. Dokai Georgesen, Eitzen
Rev. Dan Stark, Wayzata
Tracey Walen, Eitzen
Rev. MyoOn Susan Hagler, Saint Paul
Pastor Craig Pederson, Minneapolis
Rev. Keidō Thotland, Minneapolis and Eitzen
Rev. Myoshin Diane Benjamin, Saint Paul
Rev. Dr. Jeff Sartain, Edina
Tim Burkett, Minneapolis
Rev. Jen Crow, Minneapolis
Deacon Lauren Morse-Wendt, Edina
Ted O'Toole, Saint Paul
Rev. Amber Ingalsbe, New Hope
Rev. Eileen Woyen, Albert Lea
Pastor Ashley Osborn, Golden Valley
Rev. Dr. Rebecca Voelkel, Minneapolis
Matthew Lewellyn-Otten, Minneapolis
Rev. T. Michael Rock, Saint Paul
Minister Jen Bach, South Saint Paul
Rabbi Emma Kippley-Ogman, Saint Paul
Rev. Shōzoku Nomura, Saint Paul
Rev. S. Lindy Purdy, Wayzata
Rev. Dr. Kenny Callaghan, Minneapolis
Elizabeth A Oppenheimer, Quaker, Minneapolis
The Rev. Michael Mandsager, Northfield
Rev. Susie Hayward, Minneapolis
Rev. Anjanette Bandel, Rochester
Rev. Susanne E Smith, Northfield
Christine Sorensen, Saint Paul
Richard Jorgensen, Faribault
Susie George, Minneapolis
Rev. Jonathan Davis, Northfield
Rev. Joanna Mitchell, Minneapolis
Inger Hanson, Northfield
Pastor Eric Hanson, Goodhue
Rev. Miriam Samuelson-Roberts, Minneapolis
Rev. Steven H Delzer, Minneapolis
Rev. Sarah S. Scherschligt, St. Louis Park
Rev. Eric Luedtke, Richfield
Rev. Lauren Baske Davis, Northfield
Rev. Ben Schori, Northfield
Rev. Maria Anderson-Lippert, Minneapolis
Keith Miller, Oakdale
Linda Helberg, Rochester
Pastor Jason Van Hunnik, Minneapolis
Pastor Eric Hoffer, Minneapolis
Rev. Samuel J. Mailleue, Le Seuer
Dr. Rin LaJoy, Saint Paul
Rev Dr Rachael Keefe, Minneapolis
Pastor Judy Thompson-Reitz, Northfield
Deanna Kim Bassett, Minneapolis
