Press Statement on Minnesota By Evangelical Leaders
This statement was given by our Executive Director, Yonathan Moya at a press conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota on January, 22 with the Faithful Witness Coalition including the National Latino Evangelical Coalition and World Relief and CCDA and UNDIVIDED along with local partners.
January 22, 2026
Minneapolis, MN
Good afternoon,
I’m here as a member of the Christian Community Development Association and the immigration network there. In addition, I come representing the peacemaking work of Border Perspective and my home city of Minneapolis.
At the heart of our faith are two inseparable commands: to love God and to love our neighbor. Jesus makes it clear that our love for God is revealed in how we treat the people among us. We cannot claim to love a God we can’t see if we do not love our brothers and sisters that we can see.
What we’re seeing happening to our brothers and sisters is not some abstract idea or talking point. Our communities have lost pastors, congregants, neighbors, and friends.
This crisis in Minneapolis, Minnesota has faces and names.
Over the last several weeks we have watched families live in fear of being separated, pastors unsure if they’ll see their congregants again next Sunday, and as a father, I've witnessed children carrying anxiety — something no child should have to bear. To us here in Minneapolis, these are not just headlines, they are our neighbors we pray with, worship alongside, and serve every day. Their absence leaves real wounds in our churches and neighborhoods.
When one part of the body suffers, Scripture reminds us that we all suffer together.
The prophet Amos declares, “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Justice, in the biblical sense, is not harsh or indiscriminate-it restores, protects, and makes room for life to flourish.
As followers of Jesus, we believe faith must be lived out publicly. Loving God compels us to stand with our neighbors and to speak when dignity is threatened and to be loud when communities are harmed.
We are here today to call for practices that reflect justice, mercy, and love — not fear or dehumanization. We are urging our leaders to act with moral clarity, to be brave, so that our communities can be places of safety and belonging for every person made in the image of God.
