We are living in a moment where each one of us is called to be a prophet. We prophetically claim that all human life is sacred. 

Today, the sacredness of human life is being threatened. We are living in a moment when fear is being used as a weapon.

Violence, intimidation, and abandonment are being unleashed against the most vulnerable among us—through aggressive enforcement actions, through the dismantling of health care and safety-net protections, through the erosion of child care, housing, and dignity. Families are being torn apart not by accident, but by design. Silence has become complicity, and delay has become a form of consent.

We grieve this moment.

And we reject it.

As people of faith, we affirm that every person is created in the image of God. Every person deserves to be treated with dignity. No policy, no office, no administration has the authority to erase this truth.

When those entrusted with governing abdicate their responsibility to protect the common good—when Congress fails to hold power accountable—faith communities are not free to remain neutral. Scripture is clear: when the vulnerable are threatened, God’s people are called not only to speak, but to stand.

We know this may no longer be a time merely for statements. It may be a time when we are called to place our bodies where our hearts are, and at times, it means consciously choosing to stand by our brothers and sisters who are suffering.  

We issue this call to the San Diego community:

• To our elected leaders: this moment requires courageous leadership. Protect your constituents. Use your authority to shield families, safeguard health and care, and resist policies that terrorize rather than serve. Lead beyond procedure and comfort—bear moral witness, hold fast to your principles and values, and defend the vulnerable at all costs. 

• To faith leaders and communities: Prepare yourselves. Spiritually. Practically. Publicly. This is not about partisan loyalty, but moral clarity.

Exercise your rights and do not allow intimidation and fear tactics to win. In California, federal agents must remain unmasked. We fought for that.

• To our neighbors who are afraid: You are not alone. We will walk with you. We will show up. We will not abandon you.

Faith, in this hour, is not a private comfort.

It is a public commitment.

We do not seek conflict.

We oppose the indiscriminate detention and mass deportation of people. 

We stand rooted in love, guided by conscience, and accountable to a God who hears the cry of the oppressed. And we declare: whatever threatens the least among us threatens all of us.

This is who we choose to be.