The Interfaith Alliance of Southwest Florida brings together people of diverse faiths and beliefs based on shared values, including the conviction that all people have intrinsic worth and are entitled to equal rights, dignity, and respect within our society. We are committed to working together toward a just society for all, a community that embraces religious and cultural diversity, and a democracy that respects the separation of church and state enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.
Because of these foundational beliefs, we are beyond appalled by the construction of a detention camp — literally cages within tents — built to house human beings as they are rushed into mass deportation. The unspeakable conditions of the camp set in the remote, hot and humid Everglades environment; the biases evident when one looks at who is (and is not) summarily taken from their families, work, or neighborhoods; and the lack of concern for the effect of the camp on the ecosystem or sacred tribal lands all demonstrate a total lack of respect and dignity for some people.
Those who are quick to round up and put away people whom they consider to be “other,” “less than,” or “unworthy,” demonstrate their profound lack of compassion and concern for their fellow human beings. Their efforts to build a homogenous “white” society run entirely counter to our celebration of a pluralistic society where we value and learn from one another…