It’s concerning to learn about the 50,000 ICE deportations from the United States in July 2026, an all-time high.[1] In Virginia, over 15,000 people have been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since January 2025.[2] That means about 1-2 have been arrested and deported per day in the Shenandoah Valley where I live.
Since the high visibility of the Minnesota clashes with ICE earlier this year, the Federal agency has gone quiet, working with local law enforcement agencies, but increasing deportations. Most of these detentions are immoral, un-American, and unsustainable.
The weight of religious opposition is that deportees are “the least of these,” which Jesus instructed followers to invite in and support (Matthew 25:35 & 40).
America has seen waves of immigrants from other countries, a pattern in which those who had already arrived resisted the latest arrivals but then incorporated them into the nation as valuable participants. My Swiss-German immigrants came to America when English-speaking settlers resisted German families who were coming from across the Atlantic.
Those whom ICE deports usually support their families, raise children, some of whom are born as U.S. citizens, and they pay taxes. The shrinkage in the U.S. workforce disrupts our cities and rural areas and is unsustainable.
We need to work together in circles of solidarity to stem the tide of deportations. We can assist the least of these, speak up when appropriate, and seek political changes. Let us commit to joining God’s reconciling mission,[3] seek solidarity across our differences, and live and act as sisters and brothers in Christ regardless of legal status.
[1] Allison McCann and Albert Sun, “Ice arrests soar as people with no criminal record are increasingly targeted” – The New York Times, accessed August 31, 2026, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/08/27/us/ice-immigrant-arrests-trump-deportation-dhs.html.
[2] ABC 8news, accessed August 31, 2026, https://www.wric.com/news/taking-action/ice-arrests-over-15000-people-across-virginia/.
[3] (Isa. 58:6-9, 2 Cor. 5:16-19) MCUSA Churchwide Statement on Immigration, Feb. 15, 2014.