Rev. H. Julian Gordy, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Southeastern Synod, wrote a powerful guest column in Sunday’s Montgomery Advertiser, the newspaper of record in Alabama’s capital. His piece is a reminder of the heavy toll extreme immigration laws continue to take on several Southern states. He describes the “economic fractures and the human toll” that spill over to affect society at large. He begins “Extreme Laws Causing Latino Exodus,” with these words:
An exodus fueled by fear and persecution has been on my mind for months. This is not the Exodus of the Hebrew scriptures. But it is appropriate for the church, which counts migrants like Moses and Miriam and the wandering Hebrews as its spiritual ancestors, to remember its roots and speak out whenever people are put to flight.
Today’s exodus is of Latinos. Since the passage of anti-immigration legislation in Alabama and Georgia, two of the states in the synod I serve, undocumented migrants have been leaving our communities and congregations to move to more friendly states. The short-sighted and misguided laws they’re fleeing make the world a hostile, harassing place for anyone without papers, including children.
To read the full column, click here.