Prior to a “Call to Action” session about immigration injustice at Black Methodists for Church Renewal’s General Meeting in March, caucus members received copies of a “Letter to the UMC General Commission on the General Conference by the InterEthnic Strategy Development Group.”
The group comprises BMCR and the denomination’s four other racial-ethnic caucuses that represent Hispanic/Latine, Native American, Asian American and Pacific Islander United Methodists.
The March 18 letter urges the commission that plans General Conference to consider several alternatives in its planning of the 2028 General Conference in Minneapolis. The letter raises alarms about increased presence and activities of federal immigration agents in the city, including questioning, arrest, detention and removal of people, allegedly based on their apparent race and ethnicity. Citizens and non-citizens legally present in the U.S. reportedly have been among those affected since ICE ramped up its presence in December.
Seeking to ensure safety for international General Conference delegates, the Inter-Ethnic Strategy Development Group’s letter recommends development of a “comprehensive safety plan in partnership with church leaders.”
The suggested plan includes availability of legal services for needed intervention, communication protocols, designated safe spaces inside the city’s convention center, coordination with local authorities, and preparatory training of staff and volunteers.
Alternatively, the letter recommends either postponement of the 2028 quadrennial global assembly or moving it outside the U.S. to help ensure not only safety but also accessibility for international delegates who face significant increases in U.S. travel visa application costs, restrictions and delays in many countries, especially in Africa.
Finally, the letter calls for an updated, adjusted financial budget to account for costs related to new immigration realities that were not a factor when the current General Conference budget was approved.
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