United Methodists in Michigan are standing in solidarity with refugees and asylum seekers in their communities, as many of them fear deportation despite their lawful status.

FAITH GREEN TIMMONS
Michigan Conference Communications

This week marked the first 100 days in office for this nation’s current president. The White House highlighted the occasion with a political stop in Michigan on Tuesday. It is widely known that from day one, the new administration has placed a laser-like focus on America’s border and emphasized concerns about new people entering the country. In the background, thousands of residents throughout Michigan who come from different nations and represent a myriad of cultures now share a similar sense of dread and consternation. Fears of deportation have reached a near fever pitch, even for those here in the United States legally.

In response, faith communities across the theological spectrum are speaking out, and Central United Methodist Church in Traverse City is one of them. The congregation recently sponsored a highly successful letter-writing campaign, which received an overwhelming response from members of the church and the surrounding community. Together, they made their concerns known in a big way by advocating for the legal status of immigrants living here on humanitarian parole.

Humanitarian parole grants temporary permission for people in crisis to enter the United States. While it does not grant full legal status, it does save lives. Humanitarian parole recognizes the urgent needs of non-citizens with health concerns or those living under threat, in addition to those caring for sick loved ones or attending funerals. It also offers a safe, legal way for people facing oppression to find protection here in America. Advocates, like the people of Traverse City: Central UMC, say receiving parole allows vulnerable people to rebuild their lives with dignity.

Wishing to make waves by making their concerns well-known, this Northern Michigan congregation with a history of passionate justice-seeking and support of refugees and asylum seekers set a worthy goal. In March, they rallied church members and others in the surrounding community to send at least 250 letters to offices in Washington, D.C. For maximum impact, they aimed for all of them to land on the desks of national leaders within the same seven-day period. They far surpassed their initial goal, resulting in over 600 letters being sent.

Those messages, bound for our nation’s capital, went out with prayers that they would soon reach the offices of President Trump and the following Michigan elected officials: Rep. Jack Bergman, Sen. Gary Peters, and Sen. Elissa Slotkin.

“As a congregation, putting our prayers into action . . . [has] felt deeply faithful and hopeful,” said Rev. Joan VanDessel, Central’s associate pastor. “It was a moment where our hope for justice met our responsibility to advocate for the well-being of our neighbors. The congregation’s actions are not just a response to a crisis but a beacon of hope and a call to action for others. Our community’s efforts are a testament to the power of unity and solidarity in the face of adversity,” she added.

Immigration Law and Justice Michigan, an EngageMI Ministry Partner, helped make this campaign effective. A group of lay leaders within Central drafted letters, in consultation with legal staff at ILJ-MI, and made them available to the congregation as a tangible way to advocate for a path forward for people who came to the United States on humanitarian parole.

Ensuring dignity, out of a sense of concern, is one of the main goals for those trying to help. “Unlike what some claim, many of these foreign nationals are economic contributors here in the United States,” said Mike, whose last name has been withheld for the sake of anonymity. Mike has the privilege of hosting two young men from Haiti. They have lived with him for about a year and a half, and the trio has developed a close familial bond. For Mike, this opportunity to serve God by serving others is an answer to prayer. For decades, he longed to be a father, and the presence of these men in his life is a dream come true. Yet, he is beginning to feel like he is living through a nightmare.

Mike is proud of the young adults he hosts and is honored to have them in his life. “These young men, ages 31 and 32, have jobs, support themselves, and attend school. One made the college dean’s list, and the other is also excelling as a cybersecurity major,” said Mike. “They are both resilient. They own their vehicles, and they are independent. For them, the key to maintaining balance and stability amid the present political environment is to keep their heads down, stay focused on school and work, and block out the chatter,” he added.

These college students sought safety in the United States under the humanitarian parole program established in 2023. Today, these men are astonished by the sudden shift they sense throughout the region. Despite that, Central’s letter-writing campaign and the support of others in the area have helped many in the same situation feel a bit more encouraged. Unfortunately, the problem has continued to intensify in the days since that fruitful campaign a few weeks ago.

“We have shared our letter with local church partners, and we are working ecumenically in our community,” said Central’s lead pastor, Rev. Linda Stephan. She shared that local congregations are finding strength and support by working closely together. Grace Episcopal Church is one of those partners.

Karen Segal coordinates Grace’s Afghan Migrant Ministry Project. She is a former U.S. diplomat and a scholar at the Council on Foreign Relations, with decades of experience in this area. Yet, even she is shocked by the disturbing number of situations and events being reported lately.

One incident caught on tape depicted masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, whom she described as “roughly handcuffing and quickly shuffling off lawful permanent residents.” Inexplicably, all that is known is that those arrested were transported to distant detention centers, where they disappeared into the system. Watching this horrifying event and others like it has many people on edge and in near disbelief, even Segal, a seasoned retired official. “They are not criminals but people with families who pay taxes and have friends through work, school, and faith communities,” she wrote in a recent editorial published by the Traverse City Record-Eagle.

Haitians, Venezuelans, Cubans, and Nicaraguans were first among a growing list of communities affected when the executive order called Securing Our Borders was enacted in January. It terminated humanitarian parole, opened the door for reversing other programs, and created policies that have made people who were once protected feel painfully pressured.

“Why are so many people being taken into detention?” asked Segal, a Georgetown graduate with a master’s degree in international relations. “If the goal is to create fear and sow chaos, it’s working,” said the retired intelligence officer, a Michigander, who once lived in Moscow.

Back home in Haiti, the lives of the unnamed men mentioned above were at risk daily. They lived through continual intimidation from lawless gangs amid the collapse of their government. Every day, they faced the threat of widespread violence and instability. The “lawless gangs” are criminal organizations that operate with impunity, and the “collapse of the government” refers to the political instability and lack of effective governance in Haiti. However, these young men have quickly realized they are not necessarily safe here in Michigan, either.

A Ukrainian mother living here in Michigan expressed the same sentiment. She described a constant fear of the unknown while trying to survive as a family and living under the threat of deportation. She and her young children legally reside here because she has nowhere else to go, she said. Though her house back in Ukraine is still standing, bombing continues there every night. She worries incessantly about what will become of them if the family is forced to return. Pastor Stephan clarified, “Ukrainian parole has not been canceled, so far. Others have.”

Traverse City: Central UMC has decades of experience hosting Ukrainian refugees, dating back to the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. That long-term relationship has given the congregation a unique perspective and a deeply compassionate understanding of the plight of refugees. Advocates like them say they are witnessing options for life-saving accommodations vanishing by the moment here in America, with the mere stroke of a pen. That is what some expressed in their letters to Washington, asking elected officials to reverse the executive orders enacted by the current administration. In less than four months, they have seen the legal status of thousands stripped away without notice.

For congregations like Traverse City: Central UMC, Grace Episcopal Church, and others, it is like plucking away and punishing innocent loved ones. “They are to be guaranteed due process and protection under the law. Why is this not happening? . . . With so many monitoring options open to the government, detention is the worst option!” Segal stated in the published editorial.

It remains up to the U.S. Supreme Court to determine the legality of these increasing arrests. At the same time, churches and other faith organizations agree that a more humane way of dealing with immigrants living in their communities must be found. Many are calling for compassion, understanding, and respect for each person’s humanity, regardless of their immigration status. That is precisely the sentiment Traverse City: Central UMC’s letter-writing efforts sought to convey.

While the official 7-day letter-writing campaign is over, the fight for justice is ongoing. Click here to find the downloadable letter template used by Central to inspire your own advocacy work.

Last Updated on May 6, 2025