An Open Letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem
We’re taking a new, bold action and we need your help. We’ve written an open letter to Kristi Noem, and we're asking you to join us in signing it. We’ll send it to the Department of Homeland Security with a unique request - we’re asking Kristi Noem and other DHS officials to meet with our team - in person, face-to-face.
As people of faith, we are raising our voices for an immigration system that protects both security and human dignity. We honor Secretary Noem’s responsibility to protect our nation, and we are concerned that the DHS’ current strategies are not accomplishing that goal. When we do not ensure that every individual receives due process and is treated with dignity, our values are betrayed and our democracy is diminished.
We believe it is possible to lead with both strength and compassion—and that both justice and mercy must define our immigration system.
Read and sign the open letter below.
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Record numbers of immigrants are being held in immigration detention, many in overcrowded and abusive conditions.
In early November 2025, a judge found that conditions inside the Broadview detention center in Illinois were “inhumane” and “unnecessarily cruel.”
Credible reports gathered by the ACLU and the Women’s Refugee Commission document the detention of pregnant and nursing women in abysmal conditions.
Unidentified people wearing masks are roaming the streets of American cities, terrorizing neighborhoods and recklessly “disappearing” community members. Even the FBI is asking DHS agents to stop wearing masks, as ICE impersonators have robbed and kidnapped people in multiple documented instances. ICE activity, immigration court, and deportations continue despite the government shutdown, while reporting of crucial detention data is suspended.
The Department of Homeland Security has justified even its most cruel and illegal actions using Christian language and Bible verses. As followers of Jesus, we cannot stand by in silence while these atrocities are being committed in his name - or ours.
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We want Secretary Noem to take the following immediate actions:
Authorize independent, unannounced inspections of all detention facilities by accredited governmental, faith, human rights and/or medical organizations, with full freedom to publish findings.
Publish a public, facility-level transparency dashboard for all centers that is updated monthly, including population counts by age and family status, medical incidents and clinic visits, instances of family separation with justification, and data on complaints.
Prioritize alternatives to detention for vulnerable populations, including children, pregnant women, and those with serious health needs.
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Please note, you may find yourself surprised by the tone of this letter, which is designed to recognize Secretary Noem’s own personhood, to maintain respect for her office even when we’re devastated by her actions, and to set the groundwork for our genuine invitation to real conversation. We recognize the tension this all might cause for you, and we feel it too. We’re working hard to keep our own hearts soft, to have genuine hope that people can change, and to model the open dialogue and deep respect for all people that we long to see in our world.
As you read the letter and consider signing it, you might try grounding yourself with this breath prayer our friend Kayla Craig shared at the Tennessee Night of Welcome:
“Oh God make me / an instrument of peace.”
And if you can, add another sentence:
“Oh God make Kristi Noem / an instrument of peace.”
An Open Letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem
As people of faith and members of the We Choose Welcome community, we are coming together united in the belief that our nation’s immigration policies can and must uphold both national security and human dignity.
We recognize and thank you for your leadership in safeguarding our nation and the difficult responsibilities entrusted to you. Please know that we are praying for you and for our country in these challenging times: that wisdom, compassion, and justice will guide your work.
Like you, we want the United States to have a secure and orderly immigration system. However, we also care deeply about our neighbors and community members who are undocumented, but otherwise law-abiding. We are deeply grieved and alarmed when DHS enforcement actions affect these neighbors in ways that betray both our nation’s values and our shared humanity.
We are particularly concerned when we see masked law enforcement in our cities’ streets. Our neighbors have been detained in raids that do not take into account the individual's families or contributions to our communities. They spend weeks in overcrowded detention facilities without, as we understand it, consistent access to attorneys, restrooms, or medications. We do not believe these policies are making our country more safe. In fact, we fear they will erode the moral fabric of our immigration system and deny the image of God in our immigrant neighbors.
Because every person must receive due process and be treated with dignity, we urge you to take the following actions to improve our current situation:
Authorize independent, unannounced inspections of all detention facilities by accredited governmental, faith, human rights and/or medical organizations, with full freedom to publish findings.
Publish a public, facility-level transparency dashboard for all centers that is updated monthly, including population counts by age and family status, medical incidents and clinic visits, instances of family separation with justification, and data on complaints.
Prioritize alternatives to detention for vulnerable populations, including children, pregnant women, and those with serious health needs.
As people of faith, we are called to speak the truth in love. Today, that truth is this: We must treat our neighbors with respect. We believe compassion and justice must both be part of our immigration system. Secretary Noem, we believe you have the opportunity to lead with both strength and compassion, ensuring that our immigration system reflects the values of our great nation. We stand ready to work toward solutions that protect the safety of our borders and the sanctity of human life.
We Choose Welcome