As a matter of moral principle, this is very simple: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should not be allowed in our schools, hospitals, public demonstrations—and never at our houses of worship! 

The new administration has selected immigration for its assault on the Constitution, our norms, and our liberties. Many advocates, activists, and clergy fear they are starting with immigrants and will conclude by curtailing the rights and freedoms of everyone. 

On January 20, 2025, the new administration rescinded a Biden administration policy protecting certain areas from immigration enforcement. The new administration replaced it with an unreleased, now leaked, directive (see the memo), giving ICE agents unfettered access to and enforcement power in these spaces. ICE and other agencies now charged with this new enforcement should not be permitted into sensitive locations or protected areas.

Take action: This must end. Faith communities must stand firm against these violations.

The federal government should not get in the way of our ability to vote. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act would make it harder for millions of eligible Americans to register and vote by requiring strict proof of citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, and other documents.

Many Americans lack these documents, can not easily or quickly obtain them, and cannot afford the fees for processing such documentation. The SAVE Act is a modern-day poll tax, and it is unnecessary and immoral. The reality of our voting system is virtually no election fraud, a minuscule number of people who vote more than once—a tiny risk compared to a major obstacle to voting.

Extremist lawmakers are championing the SAVE Act and corralling supportive votes on this anti-voter law designed to make it harder to register and vote. The U.S. State Department estimates that a whopping 46.9% of U.S. Citizens did not have a valid passport in FY 2024.

Take action: preserve easy access to the vote.

Families should not be separated and communities torn apart!  As a Unitarian Universalist organization, UUSJ holds that all people have inherent worth and dignity and should be treated with respect and compassion wherever possible. We envision a just, compassionate, and sustainable world community. One where all people can thrive and flourish.

Let’s urge Congress to show mercy and compassion when and where the Executive Branch fails to do so. Congress should move swiftly to protect our workplaces, schools, hospitals, and other sensitive spaces and locations, such as houses of worship—our congregations, churches, and fellowships.

Take action: Stop the mass round-ups, detentions, and deportations will help.

On January 17, 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled that DACA is unlawful but stayed its decision to allow the ruling to be appealed. DACA folks and families have been living with temporary protection from deportation for 12 years, but now DACA is one step closer to termination! Congress can help Dreamers and other DACA recipients while the courts determine if the U.S. Supreme Court can—or will—play a final role.

Take Action: Tell Congress it is really time to step up and pass legislation to provide permanent protection for the Dreamers, and other DACA recipients!

Guantanamo and Refugee Resettlement

The most prevalent single topic among the President's executive orders was immigration, as there were multiple orders, many likely illegal, all designed to limit the long-standing rights of immigrants.

Take action with UUSJ organizational friends and allies to:

• Say NO to immigration detention at Guantánamo Bay with Detention Watch Network, of which UUSJ is a member

• Tell Congress & the White House that you OPPOSE Trump’s Indefinite Refugee Ban and Executive Actions Targeting Newcomers, with Church World Service

• Ask your lawmakers to speak out--End the refugee ban, with Global Refuge

Freeze what? Impoundment what?

We do not know if the White House will turn the spigot on again. We know the courts have accepted a challenge to the action, and the OMB has back-peddled a bit. 

Given the consequences for human need funding and programs, consider taking the following action with MAZON, which writes, “The unilateral and unlawful freezing of federal aid — resources that Congress has provided — throws support for food security and other anti-poverty programs into jeopardy. While we do not yet know the impact of this policy directive, it is reckless and cruel. It could have devastating consequences for Americans of all walks of life.”

Take action: Urge Congress to Protect Life-Saving Federal Aid.

Tell your Legislators to protect Americans from toxic food production practices with Farm Action

Take Action via Farm Action

Our government has propped up an industrial food and farm system that has harmed human health and the environment for far too long. Today, the largest agrochemical corporations have amassed excessive power and profits in this system at the expense of everyone else.

These corporations have used their outsized power to trap farmers in a system dependent on harmful chemical herbicides, pesticides, and synthetic fertilizers and to convince the rest of us that this system is the only way to feed ourselves. They then leverage government subsidies to keep this system in place. But we have the power to fight back and build a food and farm system that prioritizes health over excessive corporate profits. 

Farm Action’s new policy roadmap outlines recommendations for how the new administration can rebuild rural America and support independent farmers and ranchers in feeding their communities rather than further empowering abusive multinational and foreign corporations.

Equal rights and justice

The UUA and UUSJ have signed the Interfaith Statement of Support for the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as did the Universalist Society of San Francisco. 

Ask your Minister to join in their capacity as a leader who represents diverse religious traditions in the United States. Review and join the Petition Statement here. Under the new administration, this feels very important, it is vital to lift our voices where we can.