Episcopal Bishops Demand Halt to ICE Operations in Minnesota

Episcopal Leaders Express Grief Over Minnesota Incident

White House border czar Tom Homan has pledged to continue leading Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minnesota until the issue resolves fully. In response, 154 bishops from The Episcopal Church have issued a joint statement expressing profound grief, righteous anger, and unwavering hope. They describe recent events in Minnesota and similar incidents nationwide as contrary to principles of justice and peace, raising a fundamental question for the nation: Whose dignity truly matters?

The bishops mourn the tragic deaths of two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, attributing the losses to state-sanctioned violence. They extend condolences to the families, friends, and all affected by current government policies. Officials emphasize that policies driven by fear harm everyone involved.

Details of the Incident and Broader Concerns

Reports detail women being pushed to the ground, children separated from families, and citizens facing suppression and humiliation while exercising their rights. Such actions, according to the statement, foster fear, erode trust, and exhaust communities with constant tension. The bishops root their perspective in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, urging Americans to rely on their moral instincts and challenge rhetoric that prioritizes fear over facts.

A memorial in Minneapolis features cards with images of Renee Good and Alex Pretti amid flowers and tributes, symbolizing the human cost of these events. Community vigils, including candlelight gatherings, honor the victims and highlight the need for change.

Calls for Immediate Action and Accountability

The bishops advocate for urgent steps rooted in faith and conscience. They demand the suspension of ICE and Border Patrol activities in Minnesota and other areas where militarized enforcement has risked lives or undermined public confidence. Additionally, they seek transparent, independent probes into the fatalities, focused on uncovering truth rather than advancing political agendas.

Justice requires prompt accountability to foster healing, the leaders assert. Every display of courage strengthens communal bonds, as all individuals are created in the image of God. The statement reminds elected officials of shared values, including the rule of law enshrined in the Constitution, which safeguards rights, promotes fairness, and ensures stability.

Commitment to Compassion and Community Safety

As Episcopal leaders, the bishops commit to ongoing prayer, advocacy, and solidarity with those building just, safe communities. Their vision includes children walking to school unafraid, families engaging in daily activities without worry, and recognition of every neighbor’s dignity—encompassing immigrants, military families, law enforcement, nurses, teachers, and essential workers.

Individuals feeling powerless, angry, or heartbroken are encouraged to harness community, financial, political, and informational resources. Actions such as supporting neighbors, local businesses, food banks, contacting representatives, voting, and understanding rights enable peaceful advocacy.

Choosing Hope Amid Crisis

The core question remains: Whose dignity matters? Faith provides a definitive response—everyone’s. Security based on fear proves illusory; genuine safety emerges from compassion, justice, and accountable authority. This aligns with both religious teachings and national ideals.

In times of fear, the bishops choose hope, envisioning grief transforming into renewal, courage emerging from sorrow, and love flourishing in all hearts.

Signatories

The statement bears the signatures of numerous Episcopal bishops, including:

• The Rt. Rev. Gladstone B. Adams, III, X Bishop of Central New York (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Laura J. Ahrens, Bishop Suffragan of Connecticut
• The Rt. Rev. Diana D. Akiyama, Bishop of Oregon
• The Rt. Rev. David A. Alvarez, VI Bishop of Puerto Rico (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Lucinda Beth Ashby, Bishop of El Camino Real
• The Rt. Rev. David C. Bane, IX Bishop of Southern Virginia (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. J. Scott Barker, Bishop of Nebraska
• The Rt. Rev. Cathleen Bascom, Bishop of Kansas
• The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, Bishop of Indianapolis
• The Rt. Rev. Nathan D. Baxter, Bishop of Central Pennsylvania (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Mark Beckwith, X Bishop of Newark (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Barry L. Beisner, Bishop Provisional Missionary Diocese of Navajoland
• The Rt. Rev. Patrick W. Bell, Bishop of Eastern Oregon
• The Rt. Rev. Scott Anson Benhase, OA, X Bishop of Georgia (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Mark Allen Bourlakas, Assistant Bishop of Virginia
• The Rt. Rev. Thomas E. Breidenthal, IX Bishop of Southern Ohio (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Brooke-Davidson, Assistant Bishop of North Carolina
• The Rt. Rev. C. Franklin Brookhart, Assisting Bishop of Los Angeles
• The Rt. Rev. Kevin S. Brown, Bishop of Delaware
• The Rt. Rev. Thomas J. Brown, Bishop of Maine
• The Rt. Rev. Susan Brown Snook, Bishop of San Diego
• The Rt. Rev. Diane M. Jardine Bruce, Bishop Suffragan of Los Angeles (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop of Washington
• The Rt. Rev. Elías García Cárdenas, Bishop of Colombia
• The Rt. Rev. Paula E. Clark, Bishop of Chicago
• The Rt. Rev. Angela Maria Cortiñas, Bishop Suffragan of West Texas
• The Rt. Rev. Matthew Cowden, Bishop of West Virginia
• The Rt. Rev. James E. Curry, Bishop Suffragan of Connecticut (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry, XXVII Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Joe Morris Doss, X Bishop of New Jersey (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Ian T. Douglas, Assisting Bishop of Massachusetts
• The Rt. Rev. DeDe Duncan-Probe, Bishop of Central New York
• The Rt. Rev. J. Zache Duracin, Bishop of Haiti (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Mark D.W. Edington, Bishop in charge of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe
• The Rt. Rev. Dan Edwards, XII Bishop of Nevada (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. C. Christopher Epting, VIII Bishop of Iowa (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Douglas Fisher, Bishop of Western Massachusetts
• The Rt. Rev. Jeff W. Fisher, Bishop Suffragan of Texas
• The Rt. Rev. Robert L. Fitzpatrick, Bishop of Hawai’i
• The Rt. Rev. James E. Folts, VIII Bishop of West Texas (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Jonathan H. Folts, Bishop of South Dakota
• The Rt. Rev. R. William Franklin, Assisting Bishop of Long Island
• The Rt. Rev. Sally French, Bishop of New Jersey
• The Rt. Rev. J. Michael Garrison, X Bishop of Western New York (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Alan M. Gates, XVI Bishop of Massachusetts (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Wendell N. Gibbs, Assisting Bishop of Southern Ohio
• The Rt. Rev. Mary D. Glasspool, Assisting Bishop of Massachusetts
• The Rt. Rev. Susan E. Goff, Bishop Suffragan of Virginia (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. William O. Gregg, VI Bishop of Eastern Oregon (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Daniel G. P. Gutiérrez, Bishop of Pennsylvania
• The Rt. Rev. Douglas Hahn, VII Bishop of Lexington (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Michael Hanley, X Bishop of Oregon (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. John T.W. Harmon, Bishop of Arkansas
• The Rt. Rev. Gayle Elizabeth Harris, Assistant Bishop of Virginia
• The Rt. Rev. Scott B. Hayashi, XI Bishop of Utah (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Susan B. Haynes, Bishop of Southern Virginia
• The Rt. Rev. Matthew Heyd, Bishop of New York
• The Rt. Rev. Rayford B. High, Jr., Bishop Suffragan of Texas (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., XI Bishop of Ohio (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Barry R. Howe, VII Bishop of West Missouri (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Carlye J. Hughes, Bishop of Newark
• The Rt. Rev. Michael B. Hunn, Bishop of the Rio Grande
• The Rt. Rev. Robert W. Ihloff, XIII Bishop of Maryland (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. James I. Jelinek, VIII Bishop of Minnesota (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Don E. Johnson, III Bishop of West Tennessee (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Deon Johnson, Bishop of Missouri
• The Rt. Rev. Anne B. Jolly, Bishop of Ohio
• The Rt. Rev. Charles I. Jones, VII Bishop of Montana (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. David Colin Jones, Bishop Suffragan of Virginia (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. W. Michie Klusmeyer, VII Bishop of West Virginia (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. W. Nicholas Knisely, SOSc, Bishop of Rhode Island
• The Rt. Rev. Chilton Knudsen, VIII Bishop of Maine (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. James E. Krotz, IX Bishop of Nebraska (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Philip N. LaBelle, Bishop of Olympia
• The Rt. Rev. Stephen T. Lane, Bishop Provisional of Western New York
• The Rt. Rev. Mark Lattime, Bishop of Alaska
• The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey Lee, XII Bishop of Chicago (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Edward L. Lee, Jr., Bishop of the Great Lakes (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Frank S. Logue, Bishop of Georgia
• The Rt. Rev. Craig Loya, Bishop of Minnesota
• The Rt. Rev. Kym Lucas, Bishop of Colorado
• The Rt. Rev. Shannon MacVean-Brown, Bishop of Vermont
• The Rt. Rev. F. Clayton Matthews, Bishop Suffragan of Virginia (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. J. Scott Mayer, Bishop of Northwest Texas
• The Rt. Rev. Dorsey McConnell, VIII Bishop of Pittsburgh (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Jack McKelvey, VII Bishop of Rochester (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey W. Mello, Bishop of Connecticut
• The Rt. Rev. Juan Carlos Quiñonez Mera, Bishop of Central Ecuador
• The Rt. Rev. Rodney Michel, Bishop Suffragan of Long Island (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Betsey Monnot, Bishop of Iowa
• The Rt. Rev. Robert O’Neill, X Bishop of Colorado (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Todd Ousley, Bishop Provisional of Wyoming
• The Rt. Rev. Jacob W. Owensby, Bishop of Western Louisiana
• The Rt. Rev. George E. Packard, Bishop Suffragan of Armed Forces and Federal Ministries (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Bonnie A. Perry, Bishop of Michigan
• The Rt. Rev. Kenneth L. Price, Jr., Assisting Bishop of Southern Ohio
• The Rt. Rev. Brian N. Prior, X Bishop of Minnesota (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Lawrence C. Provenzano, Bishop of Long Island
• The Rt. Rev. John Rabb, Bishop Suffragan of Maryland (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Rayford J. Ray, Bishop of Northern Michigan
• The Rt. Rev. David G. Read, Bishop of West Texas
• The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Reddall, Bishop of Arizona
• The Rt. Rev. Poulson Reed, Bishop of Oklahoma
• The Rt. Rev. Gretchen Rehberg, Bishop of Spokane
• The Rt. Rev. David Rice, Bishop of San Joaquin
• The Rt. Rev. Austin K. Rios, Bishop of California
• The Rt. Rev. Ann Ritonia, Bishop Suffragan of Armed Forces and Federal Ministries for the Episcopal Church
• The Rt. Rev. Bavi (Nedi) Rivera, VII Bishop of Eastern Oregon (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Phoebe A. Roaf, Bishop of West Tennessee
• The Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, IX Bishop of New Hampshire (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Samuel S. Rodman, Bishop Diocesan of North Carolina
• The Rt. Rev. Catherine S. Roskam, Bishop Suffragan of New York (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Kathryn M. Ryan, Bishop Suffragan of Texas
• The Rt. Rev. Audrey C. Scanlan, Bishop Diocesan of the Susquehanna
• The Rt. Rev. Alan Scarfe, IX Bishop of Iowa (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Carrie Schofield-Broadbent, Bishop of Maryland
• The Rt. Rev. Gordon P. Scruton, VIII Bishop of Western Massachusetts (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Brian Seage, Assisting Bishop of Texas
• The Rt. Rev. James J. Shand, X Bishop of Easton (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Kara Wagner Sherer, Bishop of Rochester
• The Rt. Rev. Allen Shin, Bishop Suffragan of New York
• The Rt. Rev. Mark S. Sisk, XV Bishop of New York (Retired)
• The Most Rev. Melissa M. Skelton, Bishop Provisional of Olympia (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Rob Skirving, Bishop of East Carolina
• The Rt. Rev. John McKee Sloan, XI Bishop of Alabama (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. William E. Smalley, VIII Bishop of Kansas (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Andrew D. Smith, XIV Bishop of Connecticut (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. George Wayne Smith, X Bishop of Missouri (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Douglas E. Sparks, Bishop of Northern Indiana
• The Rt. Rev. Phyllis Spiegel, Bishop of Utah
• The Rt. Rev. Marty Stebbins, Bishop Diocesan of Montana
• The Rt. Rev. E. Mark Stevenson, Bishop Diocesan of Virginia
• The Rt. Rev. William H. Stokes, XII Bishop of New Jersey (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. George Sumner, XII Bishop of Dallas (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, Assisting Bishop of Washington
• The Rt. Rev. G. Porter Taylor, VI Bishop of Western North Carolina (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. John Harvey Taylor, Bishop of Los Angeles
• The Rt. Rev. Jos Tharakan, Bishop of Idaho
• The Rt. Rev. Brian Thom, Bishop of North Dakota
• The Rt. Rev. Morris K. Thompson, Jr., XI Bishop of Louisiana (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. John S. Thornton, XI Bishop of Idaho (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Martin G. Townsend, IX Bishop of Easton (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Megan Traquair, Bishop of Northern California
• The Rt. Rev. Michael L. Vono, IX Bishop of the Rio Grande (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Pierre W. Whalon, IX Bishop in charge of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Kristin Uffelman White, Bishop of Southern Ohio
• The Rt. Rev. Keith B. Whitmore, V Bishop of Eau Claire (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Julia E. Whitworth, Bishop Diocesan of Massachusetts
• The Rt. Rev. Arthur B. Williams, Jr., Bishop Suffragan of Ohio (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Jeremiah D. Williamson, Bishop of Albany
• The Rt. Rev. Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, Bishop of South Carolina
• The Rt. Rev. Wayne P. Wright, X Bishop of Delaware (Retired)
• The Rt. Rev. Rob Wright, Bishop of Atlanta
• The Rt. Rev. George D. Young, III, III Bishop of East Tennessee (Retired)

The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde serves as the ninth bishop of Washington, providing spiritual guidance to Episcopal congregations and schools in the District of Columbia and surrounding Maryland counties.