ICE Statement
The Executive Minister and Governing Board of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches condemn the immoral and excessive use of force resulting in the killing of at least four individuals since September 2025, the tactics of intimidation and fear directed towards our immigrant siblings, and the ongoing disregard of the constitutional rights afforded to all who reside in this nation regardless of status or color of skin.
The early Christian church was well acquainted with the brutality of an authoritarian empire. From the gospels to the book of Revelation, Christian scripture clearly and forcefully rejects the dehumanizing and destructive violence of the kingdoms of this world.
Christian teachings on our responsibility for one another are unequivocally clear: to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
It is love that calls us to speak truth to power, love that calls us into prayerful action, and love that demands the commitment of our whole life to God.
Recognizing and rejecting the cultural and institutional realities of racism and xenophobia, we continue to defend the right of migration and demand our civil leaders create just immigration practices that reflect the fundamental reality that immigration is the fabric that binds our nation together.
We draw the nation’s attention to the ongoing collapse of our democratic norms, the accumulation of power within the executive branch, and the failure of our legislative bodies to curtail the rise of authoritarianism that has undermined the public’s trust and faith in the actions of the Federal government and its authorized agents.
Finally, we call on all leaders of conscience and faith to preach, teach, and lead by example – to defend the fundamental principles of freedom enumerated in our constitution and to nonviolently resist the fear, hatred, and lies being perpetrated against all people who reside in this land.
Jeremy M. Langill, Executive Minister
Rhode Island State Council of Churches, Governing Board
In addition to the Executive Minister and the Governing Board, the following organizations and leaders have signed on:
Congregations
Kingston Congregational Church
Providence Presbyterian Church
St. Paul’s United Methodist Church (Newport)
Newman Congregational Church UCC
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of South County
First Unitarian Church of Providence
First Unitarian Sanctuary Working Group
Providence Monthly Meeting
Ecumenical Partners
Presbytery of Southern New England
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team
Hearts for Social Justice/Rhode Island United Methodists in Action
Southern New England Conference, UCC
Rhode Island Faith Leaders
Rt. Rev. W. Nicholas Knisely
Rev. Dr. Shannan R. Vance-Ocampo
Rev. Darrell Goodwin
Rev. Mark Sutherland
Rev. Betsy Aldrich Garland
Rev. Dr. Jan Gregory-Charpentier
Rev. Liz Lerner Maclay
Rev. K Casenhiser
Rev. Aidan Kelley
Rev. Sam Lovett
Rev. Dr. Canon Dena Cleaver-Bartholomew
Rev. Dr. Amy L. Chilton
Rev. Amy Bruch
Rev. Kevin White
Rev. Sarah Reed Jay
Rev. Dr. Jamie Washam
Angela McParland
Rev. Effie McAvoy
Rev. Linda Griggs
Rev. Joy Utter
Rev. Maryalice Sullivan
Rev. Dr. Thomas L. Blackstone
Carol Wilcox
Rev. Todd Stange
Pastor Josh Carlson-Kroschel
Jeanne DiPretoro, LLM (ELCA)
Pr. Hayley Bang
Rev. Denis Paul
Rev. Trisha Thorme
Rev. Tracey Griffing
Rev. Janet M. Cooper Nelson
Rev. Dr. Peter Michaelson
Rev. Patrick Faulhaber
Rev. Dr. Daniel R. Anderson
Rev’d William Locke, SCP
Rev. Noël Bailey Robinson
Rev. John M. Fountain
Pastor Santiago Rodriguez
Rev. Beth Sherman
Rev. Anne Bolles-Beaven
Fr. Kevin D. Beesley
Rev. Andrea Hutnak
Rev. Craig R. Swan
Canon Spencer Reece
Rev. George Harris
Rev. Veronica M. Tierney, PhD
Rev. Beverly Stenmark
