From the United Methodist Women National Office website:
In 2014, thousands of children, alone or with families, crossed the U.S./Mexico border seeking safety in the United States. They fled extreme violence and poverty in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. They faced abuse and violence as they crossed Mexico. In the United States the migration gained national attention and became politicized by electoral politics. In response to the increased numbers of immigrants crossing the border, the U.S. government stepped up the enforcement of immigration laws, detention and deportation. United Methodists responded with an outpouring of love, care and support.
These immigrant children and families are indeed the faces of Jesus Christ in our midst. Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me,” (Matthew 25:40) and United Methodists are living out that call, serving as the hands and feet of Jesus. The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church, 2012 states, “We are urged by God through Christ to love our neighbor and to do what we must to bring healing in the midst of pain, and to restore to wholeness those whose lives are shattered by injustice and oppression.” (Resolution 6072, The Book of Resolutions. Copyright © 2012 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by permission. www.umc.org/what-we-believe/united-states-mexico-border
United Methodist Women National Office invites you to learn more about this situation and join the Campaign to End Family Detention. Violating both national and international law, the detention of families criminalizes women and children who should have refugee status or a temporary protected status due to the dangers in their home countries; and it exposes them to fear, isolation, further hardship and abuse. The detention centers must be closed, not expanded.