For People of Faith & Moral Conscience

Rapid Response Guide for People of Faith & Moral Conscience Updated: February 3, 2017 2:30PM ET **Scroll down to the Resources tab which is being updated by the hour with new trainings, guides and content by partner organizations**

On Saturday, refugees were detained at airports across country. On Saturday night, a federal judge granted a stay, ruling that these families will face "irreparable harm" if returned to their country. But this simply means that they will be detained rather than forced on planes -- mothers, fathers, children fleeing persecution now will be held in detention. Advocates are overwhelmed trying to respond. Silence is acceptance. We need your voice -- YOU, no matter who you are, have power to resist.

1. Contact Congress now, leave a message, tell your representative why you care : CALL 202- 224-3121. Then commit to calling again tomorrow. Ask them to come to airports to voice their opposition, and if they can’t be there in person, to do so publicly. Note: It appears only 4 GOP members of Congress have opposed the executive order so far (Dent, Sasse, Amash, and Flake). Ask them to WRITE a letter to USCIS and CBP (see sample language below)

Here is a useful document with the names of U.S. Senators and their stance on the immigration orders. And this is a great tool by Mpower change to find your Senator that provides a script on the Muslim Ban.

2. Sign the pledge to join or support faith and moral leaders as we prepare for civil disobedience. https://action.groundswell-mvmt.org/…/we-support-civil-diso…. Here is why we believe the time for civil disobedience has come: https://auburnseminary.org/the-time-for-civil-disobedience-…

3. Post on social media using: #NoBanNoWall #OurCitiesStandTall. If you want to speak from your faith and/or moral conscience, use: #MoralResistance and #RevolutionaryLove.

4. If you have family members or friends who support the President, share with them STORIES of families fleeing persecution whose lives are now in danger. People can argue with your opinion, but not your story. Here's one: https://twitter.com/CAPAc…/status/825533885790433280/video/1

The Revolutionary Love Project – Executive Order Resource Guide 1 SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE RESOURCES

What’s Happening:

In the first week of the new administration, the President has signed executive orders to build a wall along our southern border, punish sanctuary cities, construct a pipeline despite the protests of indigenous peoples, lay the groundwork for repealing the Affordable Care Act, close our borders to refugees, and ban immigrants from seven primarily Muslim countries. We expect an order in the coming days to investigate false claims of voter fraud, which would begin a process of rolling back voter rights. The danger of this presidency is no longer speculative. Faith and moral voices have an urgent role to respond, resist, and shape national consciousness.

The following is a collection of resources from a coalition of partners, intended to help you respond to these actions as a person of faith and moral conscience. Check back as we continue to update this document as events unfold.

How can you respond?

Step 1: Pledge to support civil disobedience as moral resistance Step 2: Commit to a week of solidarity. Step 3: Call your elected officials. Step 4: Show support on social media using sample tweets and facebook posts. Step 5: Write an op-ed -- tips and talking points included Step 6: Review additional resources for long-term engagement

Step 1 -- Sign the pledge

People of faith and moral conscience around the nation are preparing for direct actions to protest the laws and policies of this administration. Join us in pledging to support nonviolent civil disobedience as a form of #MoralResistance. Together we will learn about the moral framework for civil disobedience and choose a role for ourselves, whether as protesters, medics, legal observers, witnesses, or care providers; we will train in civil disobedience as practiced and

The Revolutionary Love Project – Executive Order Resource Guide 2 perfected by thousands before us; and we will show up in the time, place, and manner we are needed.

Nonviolent civil disobedience is grounded in the ethic of love – for others, opponents, and ourselves. When people use civil disobedience to protest not just a single policy but widespread injustice, then this act of love becomes revolutionary. It can change a community, a culture, even a country. #RevolutionaryLove is the call of our times. Pledge to answer the call together: https://action.groundswell-mvmt.org/petitions/we-support-civil-disobedience-as-a-form- of-moralresistance

Once you have pledged, take the first step in preparing yourselves for moral resistance by engaging in this program prepared by Repairers of the Breach: http://www.breachrepairers.org/moralresistance Step 2 -- WEEK OF SOLIDARITY

If you lead an organization or faith community, sign on here to join a Solidarity Statement by the 30th at 3PM ET. The statement includes both a pledge by organizations as well as a list of ideas on how to demonstrate solidarity that could be useful for individuals in our constituencies and networks: http://ow.ly/Dfo7308oMty

We are invited to join in a week of solidarity by Shoulder2Shoulder:

Solidarity does not have to be very complicated. At its root, it is reaching out to, listening to, and coming alongside people or communities that are experiencing hardship. It’s sometimes messy, as all human relationships can be, but gestures need not be grand to be meaningful. We’re calling on people of faith and moral conscience to take three steps in the next week to live out their commitment to solidarity with our Muslim neighbors:

1. Lift up American Muslims in your own worship services or gatherings this weekend (January 27-29). Seek out their voices and highlight stories of how the current political environment is impacting individuals and families (you might invite a Muslim partner to share at your service or in a community group). Talk about why people of your own faith tradition should be living into solidarity with your Muslim neighbors at this time.

2. Send a note of encouragement to your local Islamic Center. You can mail them or hand deliver (Google will help you find a local Islamic Center if you don’t already have a relationship). There have been numerous beautiful examples of this sort of outreach over the last several months, from notes and flowers delivered to mosques in Washington state, Chicago, Georgia and elsewhere, to messages of love written in chalk outside Islamic Centers in Nashville, Virginia, and numerous other locations.

The Revolutionary Love Project – Executive Order Resource Guide 3 3. Reach out and show up at Friday prayers on February 3. Reach out in advance to make sure that the community would be prepared to have numerous visitors- if you don’t already have a relationship with someone with whom you can have this conversation, call up a local Islamic Center and just ask (again, Google will help you find one!). If cleared with the community, gather people from your congregation or community to show up. Here are some tips to know before you go, especially if you have never visited a mosque before.

These gestures are not meant to be an endpoint, but the beginning of ongoing relationships of friendship and solidarity.

To meet immediate urgent needs in the community: The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) is seeking attorneys to volunteer for their Emergency Legal Response Team. If you’re interested, please fill out their survey here.

Farsi and Arabic speakers in Los Angeles interested in volunteering as translators for detainees at LAX and others affected by the EO can contact the Immigrant Defenders Law Center or Access California Services through Facebook messages.

In NYC to help detainees at JFK, Farsi speakers please contact Andrea Barrientos of the NYCLU/ACLU: [email protected].

Arabic speakers are needed nationwide in person and by phone to translate. Please email [email protected], who can connect you with organizers, such as Refugee Rights or one of the 30+ other groups currently involved.

Step 3 -- Calls/Letters to congress

It is urgent that every elected official makes their voice heard. Call your member of Congress and local/state reps to express your concern and ask them to take a strong moral stand. Here’s info prepared by Middle Church:

● Click here to get the phone numbers to your senators and representatives. - Here's a possible script: My name is ______. As a person of faith, I am in opposition to President Trump's executive orders on the building a wall with Mexico, a ban on Muslims, and his threats to Affordable Care Act. It is central to our moral and faith values to provide sanctuary to refugees, hospitality to the stranger, and healing for all of us. (Additional resources here.) - This is a great tool by Mpower change to find your Senator that provides a script on the Muslim Ban.

The Revolutionary Love Project – Executive Order Resource Guide 4 - This google doc has a running list of where Senators and Governors stand.

● Ask your member of Congress to write USCIS and CBP. Here is sample language (provided by Kerri Sherlock Talbot): - Sample letter to USCIS:

Lori Scialabba Acting Director U.S. Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Office of the Director Washington, D.C. 20529-2000

Dear Director Scialabba,

It has come to my attention that some of my constituents with visas and some with Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status are being detained at [LOCAL AIRPORT] and being denied entry into the United States as a result of the Executive Order issued by President Trump on January 27, 2016. In order to assist my constituents and better understand the implementation of this Executive Order and the scope of issues affecting my constituents, I would like to kindly request the following information from USCIS:

Any and all guidance, directives, and/or policies from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding the implementation of Executive Order “Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Entry into the United States by Foreign Nationals” and how it is being interpreted and implemented on current visa holders seeking entry into the United States, visa applicants, LPRs, dual citizens, United States citizens and to any other individuals from the seven designated countries in the Executive Order applying for or renewing any of the immigration benefits listed above or any other immigration benefit.

Understanding the implementation of this Executive Order and the scope of the pressing issues affecting my constituents will help my office identify ways to assist them.

Thank you for your consideration.

- Sample letter to CBP:

Kevin McAleenan Acting Commissioner, CBP 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, DC 20229

Dear Acting Commissioner McAleenan:

The Revolutionary Love Project – Executive Order Resource Guide 5 would like to kindly request the following information:

I also request that you release these individuals immediately from CBP custody and allow attorneys into the secondary processing area to permit access to counsel for these individuals.

Thank you for your urgent consideration. Step 4 -- Post on social media

Exercise your voice and use the hashtags #NoBanNoWall #OurCitiesStandTall #MoralResistance #RevolutionaryLove. Here are a few sample tweets for you to personalize and use provided by Auburn:

● Exec orders targeting immigrants violates our core American values: freedom of religion, compassion, justice. #NoBanNoWall ● We stand with all Muslims, immigrants, refugees in face of policies that separate families & breed fear. #RevolutionaryLove ● Walls, division, bans don’t have a place in America. #NoBanNoWall #OurCitiesStandTall #MoralResistance ● In response to exec orders, see this rapid response guide for #moralresistance: https://docs.google.com/document/d/142a1jq4JKN3G3mognT05sEUafnaXBGMs4sHFO QjykT8/edit# #NoBanNoWall ● Closing the doors on Syrian refugees during a global refugee crisis undermines American tradition http://ampr.gs/2jFgqMR #refugeeswelcome ● Communities across the US are already working hard to integrate 1000s of Syrian refugees http://ampr.gs/2jFgqMR #refugeeswelcome ● Now is not the time to shut the doors on “your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” http://ampr.gs/2jFgqMR #refugeeswelcome ● America should remain a beacon of hope for Syrian & other refugees, not turn them away http://ampr.gs/2jFgqMR #refugeeswelcome ● On Holocaust Remembrance Day, a reminder that the US should embrace, not reject,

The Revolutionary Love Project – Executive Order Resource Guide 6 refugees http://ampr.gs/2jFgqMR #refugeeswelcome

Follow this link for more sample content -- we are compiling social media content as it arrives, so keep checking in!

Step 5 -- Write an op-ed

Review Rethink Media’s resource page with talking points and community resources, articles here. Then write an op-ed (650 words) from your faith and moral perspective and community. Here are excellent tips and talking points provided by Auburn Seminary.

Know Your Core Message

Your one core message is the one sentence you want people to remember above all as you prepare to speak prophetically, engage the media (your own and external), teach, preach and organize. This messaging is for people of all faiths and no faiths.

Every critical debate of our time is a values debate. Whatever you believe, name your values -- Buddhist values, Millennial values, New Yorker values, American values, Jewish values -- and frame your message in regard to the values you and the people you are trying to reach hold dear. The following core message examples have Christian references: “At the heart of both the American Dream and my faith tradition is the vision and the promise of a land where all may be free.” “American History class and Sunday School taught me how to act in this moment: to love every neighbor as myself, to call out leaders who do not protect our land and the flourishing of all our people, and to protect the vulnerable - the widow, the orphan, the poor.” In addition, craft three supporting points: ● A values statement, e.g. “We are called to love our neighbors and be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.” ● A problem statement, e.g. “Trump’s policies are the road to the ruin of our families, our neighborhoods, our economy and our nation.” ● A “Good News” statement, e.g. “We have been here before in history, when tyrants ruled and the people rose up for freedom. In fact, our very nation was built on such a moment in history. We know how to do this and in the doing, we will embody the America that is truly great: a diverse, participatory democracy. We have risked our lives for this dream before. We will do it again.” In support of the “Good News” statement, add a Call to Action, e.g. The Revolutionary Love Project – Executive Order Resource Guide 7 “Encourage your communities to do these three things today: 1. Add your elected officials to your speed dial and call them each morning right after you brush your teeth. 2. Reach out to your three best friends and create a circle of accountability and commitment to show up for your neighbors who are most vulnerable. 3. Speak out on social media, show up at demonstrations, pray for the well-being of our nation and all our neighbors. And then identify one story that makes all these points most vividly, e.g.:

“As a mom, I can’t imagine what it would be like to be pulled over with my daughter in the car seat behind me, profiled, and questioned, just because of the color of my skin. What lesson does that teach my daughter about the values of this nation? And as a Christian, am I really supposed to pick and choose which neighbors to love? I have a grandma named Gloria in my church who is worried for her three grandchildren. Will their parents and family be ripped apart? What am I supposed to do as a pastor for this congregant? Well, the answer the Bible tells me - from the life of Jesus to the stories he told like the Good Samaritan - is take care of those who are struggling the most.”

Talking Points

Consider using these talking points as material to support your core message, supporting points, call to action and story. Talking points are designed to empower your base to speak out with confidence, and remind the "persuadable middle" that the ban and the wall go against their personal values. These talking points are culled from numerous resources, secular and faith-based. Not all talking points will resonate with every organization, spokesperson or audience. A religious freedom argument, for example, may resonate more with a religious audience than one specific to Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) programs. Use what fits most effectively. Aspirational messaging emphasizes the world in which we want to live and the values by which we live our lives, and then rejects the ban and the wall for failing to live up to those values. Solely emphasizing the problem (discrimination, persecution) will not help us as much as reaffirming American values, commonly held faith values, and plotting out a solution: equality for all. Framing that works: ● Establish what American values are and other commonly held values, depending on who you are appealing to: Christians, Muslims, immigrants, young people ● Remind the audience what it means to stand by those values ● Reassure the audience that these values will ultimately guide our nation to success ● Reassure a fearful audience that we are not forgetting their national security concerns, but that discrimination will fail to keep this country safer

The Revolutionary Love Project – Executive Order Resource Guide 8 12 TALKING POINTS AND SUPPORTS FOR YOUR USE: The Immigration/Refugee Ban Violates American Values. ● E Pluribus Unum, or ‘Out of Many, One’ is printed on our currency: We should never turn our backs on our own best traditions. ● Our nation is stronger when we stand united against hate, and when we are united under our common values. These values include the freedom to practice our faith or to simply exist without fear, intimidation, or threat of physical violence. ● The US Constitution expressly protects against bigotry based on faith, nation of origin, and/or skin color. ● The beauty of American law is it treats people equally. We do not ban, register or deport people based on religion, country of origin, or skin color. This ban is a clear case of discrimination based on religion and nationality and must be decried as such. ● All of us have refugee or immigrant ancestors, and we feel strongly compelled by our families and our faith to welcome refugee families. ● This Executive Order is state-sanctioned bigotry and a dramatic departure from our American values that flies in the face of the American values every citizen holds dear.

The Immigration/Refugee Ban Violates Freedom of Religion. ● As a nation founded by immigrants fleeing religious persecution by its government, a federal policy banning anyone from the U.S. based on their faith is contrary to our country's most fundamental values. ● Religious freedom is a key tenet in our Constitution, and the persecution of one faith threatens the protection of all faiths.

The Immigration/Refugee Ban Violates our Faith Values. ● The Bible is clear that “Welcoming the stranger” is a core value. See Deuteronomy 10:19, Leviticus 19:34. ● The Statue of Liberty serves as a symbol welcoming people from around the world who seek refuge. This Executive Order takes a wrecking ball to the Statue of Liberty. ● The United States, like other nations, will be judged by how we treat the most vulnerable: the widow, the orphan, and the refugee, during trying times.The refugee resettlement program was started by faith communities in the U.S., and this announcement flies in the face of the tenants to welcome the stranger and treat the sojourner as we would our own citizens. ● Latin Americans should have the freedom to walk down the street without fear of being stopped based on the color of their skin or the language they speak. ● Muslims should feel safe practicing their faith on U.S. soil. This Executive Order is the first in a series of attacks we anticipate against the freedom of minority groups to exist in America, by limiting the people who we allow into our country based on their nation of origin and/or their faith, an increasing fear for those living in America. The Revolutionary Love Project – Executive Order Resource Guide 9 ● We are our sisters’ keepers and our brothers’ keepers and we know that our Muslim friends here see us as their hope for their community under siege. ● We are the conscience of this country. We are this nation’s moral compass. This Executive Order will make us weaker in the eyes of the world and in our own consciences.

The Immigration/Refugee Ban Harms Families. ● Becoming a refugee is the hardest decision a person can make. Most refugees leave family behind, either in their home countries or in countries where they land after fleeing. ● Refugee parents, just like us, are looking to provide for their children and give them a future where they can go to school and grow up without fear. They have lost everything, but have been given the incredible chance to create a new life here – the home of freedom and opportunity. ● This immigration ban could mean that some families, including families of U.S. citizens, will be separated forever. Who among us should be forced to never again see our loved ones -- especially when they live in danger? Family values means caring for the immigrant.

The Immigration/Refugee Ban is Deadly Policy. ● Refugee resettlement saves hundreds of lives every day. Stopping it will have profound and detrimental consequences. Lives will be lost. ● Pausing the processing will mean that refugees who have have left behind businesses, homes and all their belongings will be pulled off of planes to be sent to places worse off than where they left. Families who are anticipating their loved ones will be devastated. Communities that have opened their arms to refugees will be furious. ● Refugee resettlement is time-sensitive and disrupting the process will force refugees who were set to arrive in the U.S. today to wait months -- and even years -- only to go through fingerprinting, interviews, health screenings, and multiple security screenings yet again, all while their lives are in danger.

The Immigration/Refugee Ban Harms National Security. ● The President has halted resettlement of refugees based on the false fear and political notion that it is not safe to bring certain people to this country. 750,000 refugees have come to the US since 9/11 and not one has committed an act of terrorism. ● The vetting process works. Our history has proven we are stronger when we embrace others into our American melting pot as one nation, indivisible. ● Banning refugees based on fear actually cedes power to terrorists who have terrorized the people that our country now shuns. We must address terrorist acts based on evidence, and never single out any group of people based on their faith, their country of origin, or their skin color. Not only is it the right thing to do, it is the way to keep us safe. ● A safe America also stands by its Constitution. That, too, makes us strong. National security and foreign policy experts continue to say that bringing refugee families to the U.S. actually makes this country safer.

The Revolutionary Love Project – Executive Order Resource Guide 10 ● By helping relieve pressure on host countries with vastly greater refugees and showing that people of all faiths and backgrounds are welcome, the U.S. helps foster regional stability and reinforces that everyone has the right to pray as they choose, wherever they live.

Economic Contributions Will Be Lost. ● The vast majority of refugee families are working and paying taxes within a few short months. Refugees are creating businesses and jobs, buying homes and cars, and renewing neighborhoods. ● Businesses big and small are eager to work with refugee families because they do not take the opportunity for a new life here for granted – they work hard and they stay. This ban will hurt local economies.

This is the New Witch Hunt. ● "Countering Violent Extremism" is being renamed "Countering Violent Islamic Extremism". The FBI has not determined what factors make an individual most likely to turn to violence, whether the perpetrator is Dylann Roof, a white extremist, or Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bomber. ● By targeting one religion, this program will very quickly turn into a faith-based witch hunt focused on Muslim, Arab and South Asian Americans.

The Immigration/Refugee Ban Dishonors Military Service. ● Some of the men and women who will be shut out as a result of this immigration ban bravely served the U.S. military and government in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some face persecution due to their service alongside U.S. troops and are seeking a safe place for their families. ● Veterans across the U.S. have rallied to ensure refugees are brought here to live in safety.

Will This Immigration/Refugee Ban Define the Trump-Era? ● The Executive Order ban on travelers from Muslim-majority and Middle Eastern nations, as well as the Executive Order to build a wall on America's border with Mexico, are the first steps in a Trump-era agenda that criminalizes faith, nationality and people of color. This legislation confirms fears that the divisive and bigoted rhetoric America witnessed during the presidential campaign is already leading to devastating policies, only five days into the Trump administration. ● This Executive Order takes a wrecking ball to the Statue of Liberty, and sends this nation in a downward spiral, dishonoring our best values, and disgracing U.S. leadership abroad.

Congress Must Be -- and Remain -- in Touch with Voters.

The Revolutionary Love Project – Executive Order Resource Guide 11 ● Congress is elected to represent the people. ● Opposition to refugee resettlement by politicians is way out of touch with what we see every day in our communities – support for refugee families. ● It’s a decision is completely unaligned with American values and out of touch with what constituents want. It is time for our elected officials to actually do the will of mainstream America. ● Urge your elected city, county, state, and federal representatives to speak out publicly -- and contact the President and urge him to change his position. ● As Congress makes funding decisions, urge them to maintain funding for refugee resettlement and integration programs. History will judge this Congress harshly if it allows this decision to move forward.

Step 6 -- REVIEW RESOURCES

EVENTS Here is a link to our continuously updated list of actions & events from around the country to help you and your community respond to these orders. Our team is updating this list as we hear of new events

Review Rethink Media’s resource page with talking points and community resources, articles here. URI has compiled an excellent Interfaith Toolkit on responding to Refugee Resettlement here.

Information on Executive Orders ● A summary and detailed legal analysis by AILA and the American Immigration Council. http://www.aila.org/infonet/analysis-executive-order-visa-issuance-screening ● At least six federal courts have ruled favorably on petitions submitted (in MA, CA, NY, VA, WA). See this clearinghouse of information hosted by the University of Michigan Law School with links to the rulings, Jan. 30, 2017. ● Muslim Advocates Fact Sheet, prepared by the Penn State Law Center for Immigrants' Rights Clinic and Muslim Advocates, Jan. 27, 2017. ● Summary prepared by the Penn State Law Center for Immigrants' Rights, Jan. 27, 2017 ● Toolkit on Immigrant and Muslim ban, prepared by ADC, Jan 27, 2017. ● Executive Order: “Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements” ● CWS Global Refugee Advocacy Kit ● AAI/Penn St. Center for Immigrant Rights NSEERS Report ● 2016 ADC UN Report on Human Rights while Countering Terrorism and Extremism ● How the ban will impact Syrian refugees. ● KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: ILRC’s Guide to Immigrant Rights Under a Trump Administration: English Español ● MALDEF’s Guide to Immigrant Rights Under a Trump Presidency English/Español Bilingual The Revolutionary Love Project – Executive Order Resource Guide 12 ● MuBANY has created a very useful resource guide for attorneys who want to help, with contents covering two broad areas: Executive Order and Airport Assistance ● AJAMMC has created this very useful resource guide (English, Persian, Urdu, Arabic, and Eastern Armenian. Western Armenian will be loaded soon and then followed by Somali) https://ajammc.com/2017/01/30/muslimban-resource-guide/ ● House Democrats tomorrow will be hosting a forum on the Muslim ban from 11:30-1:30. It will be livestreamed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCd3sYfs2ho

Please lift up on social, have your comms folks tweeting and drawing attention to it to keep raising awareness.

Panelists Khizr Khan, Pakistani-American lawyer and Gold Star Father Thomas Countryman, former Assistant Secretary of State and Retired Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State Michael Breen, President & CEO of the Truman Center and Truman National Security Project, U.S. Army Veteran Andre Segura, Senior Staff Attorney, American Civil Liberties Union Galen Carey, Vice President of Government Relations, National Association of Evangelicals Farah Al Khalifi, Iraqi SIV recipient and U.S. permanent resident, Former interpreter for U.S. military, married to U.S. citizen and Navy officer Omar Al-muqdad, Syrian refugee journalist and documentary filmmaker, Former political prisoner under the Assad regime

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This guide was assembled by Revolutionary Love Project in partnership with Auburn Theological Seminary, Middle Collegiate Church, Groundswell Movement, Unitarian Universalist Association, Repairers of the Breach, and others.

Follow: @GroundswellMvmt @RevLoveProject, @ValarieKaur, @AuburnSeminary, @middlechurch

The Revolutionary Love Project – Executive Order Resource Guide 13

The Revolutionary Love Project – Executive Order Resource Guide 14