Right after World War II, when I was in my teens, I happened to hear an emotional presentation at a Church summer camp by a German Lutheran pastor, Martin Niemoeller, who had been introduced as someone who had stood up against Hitler. Years later, I would learn that Niemoeller had been slow to arrive at that stance of opposition to the Nazis. But that’s a story for another time. Niemoeller – eventually – did take a public stand against National Socialism generally and then particularly against what would eventually be called – the Holocaust.
Is Niemoeller’s slow learning curve available to us today, particularly to those of us in the U.S. who are of German Lutheran heritage? When, at the moment, rampant neo-fascism is all around us? When Hitler is being revered as a great man by a number of Americans? Or will the game be over by the time we American Christians, German Lutherans in particular, get around to figuring out what’s going on?
A case in point: the Trump administration has recently been coming after the work of the Lutheran Refugee and Immigration Service (LIRS), now called Global Refuge, and other ecumenical refugee ministries, too. Is this just another bad news report in the Trump era? Or has the time come for all followers of Jesus – especially for card-carrying ethnic German Lutherans like me – to get out into the streets if we possibly can? Or, if not the streets, what?
Here’s that story, including a statement by the head of Global Refuge (formerly LIRS) at the end, if you haven’t heard it already:
“WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today three refugee resettlement agencies, HIAS, Church World Service (CWS), and Global Refuge (LIRS), challenged President Trump’s recent executive order giving state and local officials authority to block refugee resettlement in their jurisdictions. This unprecedented order could prevent refugees who have waited years from being reunited with their U.S.-based families, and prohibit communities from welcoming refugees, even if they have long-standing and successful resettlement programs. A preliminary injunction was filed at the same time.
“The lawsuit charges that the order is yet another attempt by the Trump administration to dismantle the nearly 40-year-old federal resettlement infrastructure and restrict refugees from entering the United States. The new order, signed on September 26, would require resettlement agencies, including CWS, HIAS and Global Refuge, to obtain written consent from all localities and states in which they plan to resettle refugees. If written consent cannot be obtained, it could prevent refugees from being able to reunite with family, hinder local faith communities from fulfilling their mission to welcome the stranger, and impede resettlement agencies from maintaining local affiliate offices that provide essential services to refugees already in the area.
“According to the filed complaint, the executive order violates federal law, which requires federal agencies to make decisions about where refugees are to be placed within the United States according to a detailed list of factors, leaving no room for state and local governments to veto decisions related to refugee policy. The plaintiffs in the case, CWS, HIAS, and Global Refuge, are among the nine agencies that partner with the State Department to serve refugees and uphold America’s tradition of protecting those in need of safety. The defendants are President Trump, the U.S. Department of State, United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar. The plaintiffs are represented by the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP). The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland…
“…In response to this crisis, the President and CEO of Global Refuge, formerly Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), commented: ‘Imagine coming to this country after years of violence, persecution and desperation, only to be told you cannot join your family because the state or city must clear new political hurdles in order to welcome you. Imagine being part of a welcoming community – where both the local economy and its cultural heritage are bolstered by the presence of refugees – only to have the door slammed shut by xenophobic and bureaucratic confusion. This dystopian vision could become our American reality if this unconstitutional executive order is allowed to stand. We will not allow this Administration to further endanger children and families by exploiting fears and stoking nationalism.’”