Indianapolis Faith Leaders Call on Mayor Hogsett and City-County Council to Respond to ICE Activity

As people of faith, we believe that the way we treat our neighbors, especially those who are vulnerable, frightened, or uncertain about their future, reflects our deepest moral values.

Our faith traditions may be different, but we share a common conviction:  every human being possesses dignity, every family deserves to be treated with humanity, and no community should be governed by fear.

As federal immigration enforcement activity takes place in Indianapolis, we are deeply concerned by the silence of our city's elected leadership.  We are calling upon Mayor Joe Hogsett and the Indianapolis City-County Council to speak and to lead.

Families across our city deserve to know what is happening. Immigrant families deserve to know whether their local government stands with them. All Indianapolis residents deserve to know what role, if any, city personnel, property, information, facilities, or other resources are playing in federal immigration enforcement operations.

This is not a request for our elected officials to disregard the law.  It is a request for them to exercise every lawful authority available to protect the dignity, safety, and constitutional rights of the people they were elected to serve.

We therefore call upon Mayor Hogsett and the City-County Council to:

Publicly address ICE activity in Indianapolis and communicate clearly with residents about what the City knows and how it is responding.

Clarify the role of IMPD and other city agencies, including whether city personnel, facilities, property, information, or other resources are being used to assist federal immigration enforcement.

Ensure that Indianapolis resources are not voluntarily used to facilitate civil immigration enforcement beyond what is required by law.

Provide multilingual Know Your Rights information so residents understand their constitutional rights when interacting with federal immigration authorities.

Convene a public City-County Council hearing where residents, faith leaders, immigrant organizations, attorneys, and community advocates can hear from city leadership and raise their concerns.

For people of faith, this is more than a political issue.  This is a moral issue.  Our sacred traditions repeatedly call us to care for the stranger, defend the vulnerable, pursue justice, and love our neighbors. Those teachings become especially important when fear enters our communities. Right now, families in Indianapolis are afraid.

Parents should not have to wonder whether going to work could separate them from their children. Children should not have to sit in classrooms wondering whether their parents will be home when school ends. Residents should not become afraid to report crimes, seek medical care, worship, or participate in community life because they fear an encounter with immigration authorities. They should not have to wonder whether their local elected officials see their fear and hear their cries.

Silence is not leadership.

Indianapolis cannot control every decision made by the federal government, but our city can decide how it responds. Our leaders can protect the trust between residents and local law enforcement. They can safeguard city resources from unnecessary involvement in federal immigration enforcement. They can educate residents about their rights. They can demand transparency. They can stand with frightened families. They can speak.

Therefore, as faith leaders and faith communities across Indianapolis, we ask Mayor Hogsett and every member of the City-County Council:  What will you do to protect the people you were elected to serve?

At moments like this, leadership requires more than silence.

Our faith calls us to welcome the stranger.
Our conscience calls us to defend our neighbors.
And this moment calls our elected leaders to act.

Rev. David W. Greene, Sr. / Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis
Rabbi Aaron Spiegel / Greater Indianapolis Multifaith Alliance (GIMA)

Ashley Hogue, Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis

Beth Henricks           

Betty Lynch, All Souls Unitarian Church

Carolyn Kingen        

David Berghoff         

Dawn King    

Dr. Clete Hassan Ladd, Worldview Welcome Center

Dr. Matthew Montgomery, Cicero Christian church

Dr. Michael S. Johnson, Mount Pleasant Church

Dr. Robert S. Henry, Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Eleanor Vonnegut

Genene Kambs, The Garden

Janice A. Hise          

Jeff Krajewski, Common Ground Church-Midtown

Jennifer Shirk           

JoAnn Giannini        

Kathryn Loheide      

Kathryn Williams     

Kathy Calwell

Kenneth Feeley        

Lisa Freeman

Lora Henderson, Beautifulmindz

Lynne Rohmerien Martin    

Mariann Scott, Indiana Faith Voices for Justice Inc.

Marilyn J. Smith, Esq.         

Miss sara dyer          

Mrs. Mary Bennett   

Ms. Nedra Feeley     

Nancy Flamme        

Pastor Darrell Brooks, New Liberty Baptist Church/Black Church Coalition

Pastor Ed Strietelmeier       

Rabbi Justin Kerber 

Rev Dr Reginald Fletcher, Living Word Baptist

Rev Ed Fisher, Bluffton First United Methodist Church

Rev. Aaron Hobbs, Broadway United Methodist Church

Rev. Annettra Jones, Scott United Methodist Church

Rev. Benjamin Wakefield, Lynhurst Baptist Church

Rev. Bob Nowak, Pleasant View Lutheran Church

Rev. Deacon Cathy Scott    

Rev. Dr. Carolyn Scanlan-Holmes, The Garden

Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund, First Congregational United Church of Christ

Rev. Fatima Yakubu-Madus           

Rev. Katie Romano Griffin, Unitarian Universalist

Rev. Linda McCrae   

Rev. Mark Lynch, Metanoia, United Church of Christ

Rev. Mary Slenski    

Rev. Melody Merida, Downey Avenue Christian Church

Rev. Sarah Nowak, Pleasant View Lutheran Church

Rev. Terry Daniel, Metanoia: Church of Transformation, United Church of Christ

Rev. Karen Sullivan 

Richard Gibson        

Ron Greinet, Chapel Rock Community Development Corporation

Ronald L. Chancey, Heartland Church, Fishers

Shirley Alexander, American Baptist Churches of Greater Indianapolis

Susan Holewinski    

Susan Vinicor, Unitarian Universalist Church of Indianapolis

The Rev Jeffrey L Bower, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Indianapolis

The Rev. Canon Bruce Gray

The Rev. Canon Monique A. Ellison, Christ Church Cathedral

The Rev. Canon Zoila M Manzanares, Christ Church Cathedral

The Rev. Dr. Bradley Pace  

The Rev. Erin Hougland Glass, Center for Interfaith Cooperation

The Rev. Robin Brown, Christ Church Cathedral

The Rev.’d Adam Pierce, Trinity Episcopal Church indianapolis

The Rev'd Frank Impicciche, Holy Family

The Reverend W G Barfield

The Very Rev. Dr. Gray Lesesne, Christ Church Cathedral

Tom Vandevender   

Tony Alexander, Concerned Clergy

William S. Coleman, Jr. ESQ.         

The Rev. John Denson    Christ Church Cathedral 

Rev. Beau Underwood    Allisonville Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

The Rev. Kelsey Hutto-Ford    St. John’s Episcopal Church, Bedford IN

The Rev. Linnea Stifler    Episcopal, retired

The Rev. Jim Said    Good Samaritan Episcopal Church

Randi Rieman-Johns     Good Samaritan Episcopal Church

Barbara MacDougall    St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Rev. Dr. Jennifer Oldstone-Moore    St Andrew's, Greencastle

Dr. Brenda S. Howard,  Indy Trinity Church  

Rev. Matt Tebbe, The Table Episcopal Church

Kathy Calwell, St Luke’s. Indians Remembrance Coalition, LiveFree

Joel Reichenbach, Trinity Church - Broad Ripple

The Rev. Michelle Roos                  

Erik Thien, Common Ground Northeast Christian Church

Theresa Berghoff

Bishop Tracy S. Malone, Indiana Episcopal Area of The United Methodist Church

Neil Cox, Indy Christian Network

Rev. Dr. Timothy Parsons, Journey Church

Rev. Shawn Coons, Fairview Presbyterian Church

Rev. Judith Fackenthal       

Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals

Rev. Mark McClintock, Speedway Baptist Church

Phyllis Schmidt

Paul E Schmidt

Rev. Teresa Hord Owens

Reverend Chauncey DeMonte Brown, Rainbow PUSH Coalition

Rev. Jeff Miner, LifeJourney Church

Rev. Dr. Amy Lindeman Allen

The Rev. Kate Wilson, St David's Episcopal Church

Shelly Clasen, St. Luke's United Methodist Church

Dolly Craft

Rev. Kimberly Koczan, Wisdom's Well Ministries

Rev. Gale Stutz, Carmel Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Amy Metheny MD

Reverend Jen S. Gibbs, St. Lukes United Methodist Church

Camela Matlack

Rev. Dr. James Higginbotham

Rev. Heath Jones, Northwood Christian Church

Pastor Robert Ferguson, Life Journey Church

Rob Fuquay, St Luke’s UMC

Steven Bulloff