Statement from the Union for Reform Judaism, Central Conference of American Rabbis, and American Conference of Cantors on ICE Actions

For decades, the Reform Jewish movement has been a clear and unequivocal voice calling for immigration policy that is just, secure, and compassionate. That policy should be transparent and rooted in the United States’ status as a nation founded and strengthened by immigrants throughout the generations. We come to these views not just as Americans, but as Jews cognizant of our own history -- as a people living as strangers in strange lands, too often facing exile and banishment from lands turned hostile to us, forced to flee as migrants seeking shelter safety and opportunity. We are also ever cognizant of the frequent biblical commandments to provide for, protect, welcome, never oppress, and love the stranger.

Core American values, rights, and principles are threatened by ICE’s violations of immigrants’ civil rights and of those protesting to protect their neighbors and their communities, as well as ICE’s militaristic actions in cities nationwide that are sweeping up people without probable cause. Too many ICE officials are undertrained or dismissive of basic rights. Countless individuals have been injured while exercising their First Amendment rights. Families have been separated, and children used as bait to ensnare their parents. Horrifically, two civilians, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed by ICE agents – and at least six more have died in ICE custody in 2026 so far. 

Pursuing enforcement-only measures designed to curb illegal immigration risks human dignity and human rights, as we have witnessed repeatedly in the past months. Top Administration officials have resisted accountability as well as thorough and transparent investigations of ICE agents’ actions, even when fatal force has been used. The Secretary of Homeland Security, top White House advisors, and the President himself have made unfounded accusations and appeared to pursue their ideological goals over discovery of the facts. Under the guise of pursuing its immigration policy, the Administration is fomenting and perpetrating violence and targeting states whose voters, legislatures, and governors have rejected the President’s agenda. Rather than keeping America and Americans safe, ICE’s actions have become a threat to life and liberty. 

To restore good faith trust in ICE to protect, rather than endanger, individuals, major reforms in ICE’s mandate are required, including a clear commitment to ensure the rights of immigrants, their families, and those who organize to peacefully protect them and a transparent and consistent system of accountability when violations of those new norms occur. Until such reforms are made, we do not support new funding for ICE. We will take a similar stance in relation to any future federal entity pursuing immigration enforcement through similar means and practices to those used by ICE today. 

Let us be clear: secure borders paired with orderly immigration processes reflect a healthy democracy. So, too, does abiding by the international agreements regarding refugees and asylum seekers to which the U.S. is a party. Immigrants who qualify should have a path to citizenship that reflects fair and compassionate eligibility standards. These are policies for which we have advocated over many decades. Indeed, as early as 1913, the URJ’s precursor, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, adopted a resolution in response to proposed, restrictive immigration legislation that referred to it as “foreign to the spirit of American traditions.” The URJ and CCAR have spoken strongly about refugees and asylum seekers, protecting individuals at risk of deportation, the contributions of immigrant farm workers, and the importance of comprehensive immigration reform, in which the URJ’s 2007 resolution noted that, “Immigration and Customs Enforcement units [must] act within the framework of U.S. law, which requires court-ordered search warrants, due process, and humane treatment of detainees and their families.”

Our calls for immigration reform have remained consistent in recent decades, but public debate has shifted. In 2007, President George W. Bush called on the United States Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform that would have been “secure, productive, orderly, and fair.” We advocated for the same and pressed Congress to act on bipartisan legislation championed by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA).  Sadly, that legislative effort ended in defeat. Yet decades of failure by elected leaders from both parties to address the nation’s immigration challenges do not excuse the tragedy unfolding in Minneapolis, Maine, Los Angeles, Illinois, New Orleans, and elsewhere ICE has been deployed by this Administration. 

We harken back to the words of the CCAR’s 2006 Resolution on Immigration: “…the United States is a nation of laws, which must be enforced and respected in order to maintain a civil society. At the same time, we expect that — especially in a Constitutional republic founded on principles of human dignity — the laws in question must be both just and equitable.” Today, we would add that enforcement of those laws must also be just and equitable.

We pray for and will work to hasten the time when the United States embraces immigration reform that secures our borders, smoothly processes refugees and asylum seekers, meets the needs of employers, provides a path to citizenship, and respects the humanity of all people.