Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), signed an open letter from the Evangelical Immigration Table (EIT) to Chad F. Wolf, acting secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, calling on the agency “to utilize alternatives to detention for individuals who do not pose a threat to public safety.”

These “alternatives to detention” most frequently consist of electronic monitoring, specifically ankle monitors. According to the National Immigration Forum, these monitors are “less restrictive and more humane than immigration detention” and “ensure that individuals waiting for immigration court proceedings are subject to supervision by immigration authorities.”

The reasoning cited in the letter for calling for the release of detainees stems from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter notes that detainees confined “within a constrained space, are effectively unable to practice the ‘social distancing’ advised by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.”

The letter explains that “expanding the use of alternatives to detention would provide those individuals who must remain in detention with more space, limiting the public health threat to them and to staff who work in these facilities, while allowing those who can be safely released to reside with family members, friends or hosts from local churches.”

Joining Moore as co-signers of the letter were:

• Scott Arbeiter, president, World Relief
• Doug Clay, general superintendent, Assemblies of God USA
• Shirley V. Hoogstra, president, Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
• Hyepin Im, president & CEO, Faith and Community Empowerment
• Walter Kim, president, National Association of Evangelicals
• Jo Anne Lyon, ambassador, General Superintendent Emerita, The Wesleyan Church
• Chris Palusky, president & CEO, Bethany Christian Services
• Samuel Rodriguez, president, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference