Strangers No Longer (SNL), a faith-based network of Catholic parishes, high schools, and community institutions, organized an assembly of more than 130 members and partners from across the state in a powerful demonstration of interfaith advocacy in Lansing on December 2. Their mission was clear: to position the faith community as a central moral voice in Michigan’s immigrant policy conversations and to champion the dignity of immigrant families across the state. In the spirit of Advent and the Latin American tradition of posadas, this interfaith pilgrimage for human dignity was an act of public witness grounded in the hope that elected officials would open their hearts and minds to the assembly’s message of compassion for the stranger.
SNL’s day of action focused on building legislative support for SB 508, 509, and 510—bills that would prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from bringing fear and cruelty into our neighborhoods through their use of face masks, unchecked requests of personal information, and intrusions into churches, schools, hospitals and courts.
In addition to advocating for these policies, SNL sought to uplift the lived experiences of immigrant community members whose stories often go unheard by lawmakers. These stories highlighted the urgent need for support of SNL’s Local for Local campaign—a statewide effort to educate local law enforcement about the harms of the Department of Homeland Security’s “287g agreements. “These are collaborations between local law enforcement agencies and ICE. The campaign aims to form constructive relationships with local police authorities and ensure they remain accountable to the safety of all residents, regardless of immigration status.
“We want legislators to listen to [immigrants’] stories, see their humanity and their pain, work to create policies that support them, and not exclude or marginalize them,” said an immigrant leader from SNL’s immigrant advisory council. “We pray that they make fair and compassionate decisions that protect the rights of migrants and provide them with opportunities to thrive.”
The assembly’s impact in Lansing was unmistakable. 130 SNL members filled the Senate gallery, receiving formal recognition during the Senate session— displaying a clear unity from Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Jews, Episcopalians, and other faith traditions represented in the delegation. Participants also held formal sit-down meetings with 12 Senators and visited every Senate and House office, delivering materials and letters of support from five different religious groups, starting with the recent Special Message of the US Catholic Bishops. This interfaith presence underscored a message SNL has championed for years: faith communities are indispensable partners in the fight for humane immigration reform…