Community Corner

Ministers: Georgia's Immigration Bill 'Racist'

Ministers associated with the Unitarian Universalist church in North Georgia came out Friday against a House bill that would allow police to verify the immigration status of suspects.

A group of Unitarian Universalist ministers, including several from the , came out against Georgia House Bill 87 on Friday, calling the bill racist and unfair.

The group posted a signed statement on the Facebook page for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta on Cliff Valley Way. The statement was released two days after 's Rabbi Joshua Lesser also during the church's Passover seder.

The bill would require businesses to verify the citizenship of workers they hire. It would also allow police to investigate the documentation status of suspects.

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Here is the statement:

What’s good for Georgia is that we base our social policies on traditional spiritual values of compassion and hospitality. But House Bill 87, a punitive immigration measure recently passed by the Georgia Assembly and sent to Governor Nathan Deal’s desk, telegraphs the message that there’s not enough love and not enough resources to go around. If a bill like this become law, we are diminished as a state.

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I just don’t believe that there’s not enough to go around. Jesus taught us that when people are in need, you make room for them at the table, and there will always be enough of what is most important. You don’t buy into a scarcity mentality. All people have inherent worth and dignity. We need to make room for people coming to America with hopes of creating a better life for themselves, and if we can find ways of supporting them, the result can only add to our prosperity as a nation. It made America great in our past, and it can make us great again.

There are a tremendous number of problems with House Bill 87. It is racist. It is neither workable nor fair. It is bad for business. It reflects Georgia politicians acting far beyond the bounds of their proper jurisdiction. Its twin bill in Arizona has cost that state millions of dollars in litigation, and its unconstitutionality has recently been upheld. But even more problematic than all these is the fundamental spiritual blight that House Bill 87 reflects. It is hate-filled and fear-filled. I urge Governor Deal not to sign this bill into law. We need to make room at the table. There’s always enough of what’s truly important to go around if we’re resolved to make it so. What would Jesus do?

Signed,

Rev. Anthony David, Senior Minister, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia

Rev. Marti Keller, Minister, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia

Rev. Jeff Jones, Minister, Emerson Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Marietta, Georgia

Rev. Dr. Morris Hudgins, Minister, Northwest Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Sandy Springs, Georgia

Rev. Paul D. Daniel, Minister, The Unitarian Universalist Metro Atlanta North Congregation, Roswell, Georgia

Rev. Alison Wilbur Eskildsen, Parish Minister, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens, Athens, Georgia

Rev. Don Randall, Affiliated Community Minister, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens, Athens, Georgia

Rev. Terry Davis, Atlanta, GA

Rev. Joan Armstrong Davis, Atlanta, GA

Norm Horofker, Ministerial Intern, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia


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