This is Why We Pray
Human dignity, public safety and the way of Christ.
In the aftermath of the January 7 shooting involving ICE agents and the death of Renee Nicole Good, Transform Minnesota called Christians to pray for peace, for de-escalation, for immigrant families living in fear, and to grieve the woman who was killed.
Some have asked whether such concern is misplaced if immigration enforcement is simply targeting “dangerous criminals.” Others worry that public prayer for immigrants risks undermining the rule of law.
These questions deserve a careful, faithful response shaped by Christian conviction.
Why do we pray for immigrant families?
Many Americans have been told, repeatedly, that immigration enforcement is narrowly focused on violent criminals. Yet what we hear from immigrant pastors, immigrant community leaders, and families tells a different tale.
Henry is one such story. Henry is a deacon in his Minnesota church. He had an asylum claim pending, following the lawful process established by our government, and possessed a valid work permit. He was arrested while working at a mechanic shop, doing what Scripture commends: providing for his family. Today, Henry sits in detention in Louisiana, separated from his wife and children, waiting for a hearing before a judge.
Henry is not an outlier. He is representative of a growing number of non-violent, law-abiding immigrants—and in recent days U.S.-born Citizens, who are being swept up in broad enforcement actions.
The Bible tells us to mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:15) and that when one part of the body suffers, every part suffers (1 Corinthians 12:26). So we pray for our brother Henry, and many like him who are hurting.
Why do we grieve Renee’s death?
We grieve because a life has been lost.
In moments like these, it is tempting to rush past grief toward justification, blame, or political alignment. But the Christian response begins elsewhere. Scripture teaches us to mourn with those who mourn. Renee Good was a young mother. Her life is now gone. Her family carries a loss that cannot be undone.
Yes, we also pray for the safety of law enforcement officers. They bear a heavy responsibility, and Scripture calls us to pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:2).
Today, the most irreparable harm is the death of a woman whose children will grow up without their mother.
Christian compassion requires us to say that plainly.
Why do we pray for de-escalation?
Because the conditions for escalation have been building for weeks.
For many Minnesotans, our lives are intertwined with immigrants. They are our neighbors and coworkers. Friends and classmates. They contribute to our economy, care for our elderly, serve customers across our communities, and worship beside us on Sunday mornings.
When federal agents arrive in neighborhoods and outside of schools, hospitals and restaurants with face coverings, overwhelming shows of force, and aggressive tactics, people do not experience that as bringing peace and safety. They experience it as a threat to people they love.
Likewise, when neighbors and family show up to protest ICE actions, it makes it harder for federal agents to act in a calm and civil manner.
That tension is reaching a breaking point. Both sides need to de-escalate.
In Minneapolis, this reality carries particular weight. After the murder of George Floyd, the city embarked on a long, difficult effort to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the public. The Minneapolis Police Department has invested years in restoring the social contract and strengthening community policing and accountability. It has been slow and imperfect, but progress was being made.
The tactics of external federal agents, operating independently of local control and community relationships, undermines that progress. Police Chief Brian O’Hara has been clear: these tactics jeopardize years of trust-building and place communities and officers alike at greater risk.
As evangelicals, we affirm the rule of law. We support secure borders and a lawful, orderly immigration system. We also affirm something equally biblical: that enforcement must be carried out in a way that honors the God-given dignity of every person, made in the image of God.
Why this matters to Christians.
Some partisan rhetoric portrays immigrants as inherently dangerous, criminal, or detrimental to society. Some Christians repeat these claims without ever examining whether they align with reality.
Most Minnesotans know better, because they know immigrants personally.
Statistically, less than 3% of immigrants are violent criminals. Yet current enforcement practices are not narrowly focused on that small percentage. They are broad, indiscriminate, and increasingly detached from the values we claim to hold.
The result is deeply ironic—and deeply troubling for evangelical Christians.
We say we care about family unity, yet fathers and mothers are being taken from children who depend on them.
We say we care about the persecuted church, yet believers fleeing countries where Christians face imprisonment or death are being denied asylum.
In a high-profile case in California involving an Iranian Christian couple, a government attorney argued that Iran—a country long recognized as hostile to Christian converts—is now safe to deport them to.
This is not a call for open borders. It is not a rejection of law enforcement. It is a call to recover moral clarity: to insist that enforcement be targeted, proportional, and consistent with human dignity.
A Better Way Forward.
Evangelical Christians can hold these truths together. We can affirm the need for secure borders and lawful processes. We can support the removal of genuinely dangerous individuals. And we can reject enforcement approaches that separate families, undermine public trust, and contradict our commitment to protect the vulnerable.
In this moment, our neighbors—many of them fellow believers—are afraid. Our communities are strained. And the fragile work of rebuilding trust is at risk.
And so we pray for
…justice tempered by mercy,
…enforcement shaped by dignity,
…and love that does not look away when fear takes hold of our neighbors.
We pray because prayer re-centers our allegiance to God’s kingdom, not any earthly ideology. We pray because prayer keeps us from hardening our hearts. And we pray because prayer reminds us that every statistic has a face, a name, and a family, loved by God.
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References
US Customs and Border Protection – Criminal Alien Statistics
TRAC Report – Immigration Detention Quick Facts
US Department of Justice – undocumented immigrant offending rate
National Association of Evangelicals – Resolution on Immigration Reform
Read Also
Transform Minnesota – Upholding Human Dignity While Respecting the Rule of Law
