Wilmington Yearly Meeting looks forward to policies that prioritize migrant family unity and safety

To the editor,

On Nov. 8 in Wilmington, Ohio, the regional Quaker organization known as Wilmington Yearly Meeting approved the statement below about deportations. Fairview Friends Meeting near New Vienna is part of Wilmington Yearly Meeting.

We of Wilmington Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) affirm a divine guidance to treat others with love and respect regardless of where they were born. We oppose the U.S. government's policy of mass deportations and ongoing harassment of undocumented immigrants in this country.
 
We object when our government denies any person due process under the law. It is not only undocumented immigrants with criminal histories of violence or drug dealing who have been subject to deportation. We are concerned that anti-immigrant policies are part of the sad history of prejudice and discrimination in the United States.
 
In consensus with the Friends Committee on National Legislation, Wilmington Yearly Meeting looks forward to policies that prioritize migrant family unity and safety, and joins with those in support of undocumented immigrant workers and their families for opportunities to obtain lawful status within U.S. society, including a pathway to citizenship."

Patricia Thomas
Clerk of Wilmington Yearly Meeting
292 Alumni Circle
Wilmington, Ohio