What is this Present Concern Before Us? #SantuaryEverywhere means Love of Neighbor

How does #SantuaryEverywhere mean to seek in our Full Lives and to give us New Words to Love of Neighbor? Is this a Present Concern Before Us?

Friends, we are again called into vigilance.

Recent actions by federal authorities to establish a large-scale immigration detention facility in Roxbury Township—opposed by state and local leaders—signal not only a legal dispute but a deeper moral crisis. The proposed conversion of a warehouse into a site of confinement for up to 1,500 human beings raises urgent concerns about environmental harm, due process, and the important concerns for the dignity of life.

We are reminded that systems of mass detention do not arise in isolation. The slow crawl of cruel inhumanity has been creeping all around us. The systems grow where fear is cultivated, where neighbors are made “other,” where a machinery of state violence normalizes separation, confinement, and suffering.

This moment echoes long arcs of history—from enslavement to internment, from exclusion acts to the expansion of carceral systems. Friends have seen such patterns before. We have been the proponenets of pentitentiary reforms. And we have responded before from love, from peace, from understanding.

Query for the Meeting

• When laws permit harm, where does obedience end and conscience begin?
• How are we called to see “that of God” in those whom the state seeks to detain?
• What does it mean to be a sanctuary people in a time of expanding surveillance and control?
• Are our Meetings prepared—not just in spirit, but in practice—to accompany those at risk?

A Long Held Testimony of Peace and the Refusal of Violence without Contest and Opposition

Our Religious Society of Friends has long held that violence is not only physical—it is structural, legal, structural, and economic.

Mass detention facilities, particularly those with documented histories of neglect and abuse, represent a form of violence against the human spirit. They sever families, disrupt communities, and reinforce a system in which some lives are treated as disposable.

As Bayard Rustin reminded us, nonviolence is not passive—it is a disciplined, active force for transformation.

Historical Witness

Friends have stood in similar places before:

• In the 18th century, John Woolman traveled among slaveholders, calling them into conscience, discernment, and transformation.
• During World War II, some Friends resisted the internment of Japanese Americans, offering material support and advocacy.
• In recent decades, Quaker Meetings across the U.S. have participated in Sanctuary Movements, offering refuge to those facing deportation.

These were not abstract commitments. They were lived risks. The changes we now seek were not comfortable. Small groups of people changed our world.

Seeing the System Clearly

What is unfolding in New Jersey is not isolated policy disputed. Whether in Lebanon, Iran, Sudan, Cuba cruelty is USA norm. It reflects intersecting forces:

• Militarism: The expansion of enforcement and detention infrastructure
• Racism: The disproportionate targeting of immigrant communities of color
• Xenophobia: Narratives that frame migrants as threats rather than neighbors
• Environmental disregard: The siting of harmful infrastructure in vulnerable ecosystems

This is, in many ways, a “theater of the state”—a visible enactment of deeper systemic failures. The pageantry of cruelty is

And yet, New Jersey—our home—is also a laboratory of resistance, where local, state, and community actors are pushing back.

Practices for Faithful Response

Friends are not without tools. Our tradition offers practices that can be multiplied, adapted, and shared.

1. Meeting for Worship with Attention to the World

Hold extended worship focused on the condition of those detained or at risk. Invite vocal ministry that connects inward Light with outward action.

2. Public Witness

Organize silent vigils outside government buildings, detention-related sites, or public spaces. Let the stillness speak.

3. Sanctuary Discernment

Consider whether your Meeting is led to become a sanctuary space—physically, legally, or spiritually.

4. Accompaniment Networks

Partner with local immigrant justice organizations to provide rides, court accompaniment, or material support.

5. Environmental Solidarity

Collaborate with environmental groups concerned about water systems, land use, and ecological harm—recognizing that these struggles are interconnected.

Creative and Communal Witness

Let us not forget the power of joy, art, and collective imagination.

• Host intergenerational storytelling nights on migration, belonging, and home
• Create public art installations—empty shoes, lanterns, or silhouettes representing those detained
• Organize “Sanctuary Picnics” in public parks, inviting neighbors into conversation and relationship
• Develop theatrical readings or performances that expose the contradictions of a system claiming liberty while practicing confinement

This is what it means to reveal the “theatrical pungency” of injustice—not with cynicism, but with clarity and creativity.

Adjacent and Proximate Work

Friends need not act alone. Many are already laboring in this field:

• American Friends Service Committee — long-standing work on immigrant rights and detention reform
• Detention Watch Network — national efforts to end immigration detention
• First Friends of NJ & NY — visitation and support for detained immigrants

These organizations offer pathways for engagement, education, and partnership.

References & Further Reading

• Legal frameworks cited in the lawsuit:
  • National Environmental Policy Act
  • Administrative Procedure Act
• Reports on detention conditions and impacts (see AFSC and Detention Watch Network publications)
• Historical writings of John Woolman on conscience and social transformation

A Final Query and Invitation

Friends, the question before us is not only whether this facility will be built.

It is whether we will be found faithful.

Will we see this as someone else’s concern—or as a call to deepen our practice of #LoveThyNeighborNoExceptions and #SanctuaryEverywhere?

Will we remain in comfortable abstraction—or step into embodied solidarity?

The Light we profess is not theoretical. It asks something of us.

Supplemental: Concrete Next Steps for Meetings (555 words)

1. Minute the Concern
Draft and approve a Meeting minute expressing opposition to mass detention and affirming commitment to sanctuary and peace. Share it with local officials and partner organizations.

2. Form a Rapid Response Committee
Create a small working group responsible for tracking developments, coordinating actions, and communicating with the Meeting.

3. Build Relationships Before Crisis
Reach out to local immigrant communities, faith groups, and advocacy organizations now—not only when urgent needs arise.

4. Host Educational Forums
Invite speakers from American Friends Service Committee or Detention Watch Network to deepen understanding of detention systems.

5. Train in Nonviolent Direct Action
Equip Friends with the skills needed for peaceful protest, de-escalation, and legal awareness.

6. Offer Material Support
Collect funds, clothing, or supplies for families impacted by detention. Support bond funds where appropriate.

7. Engage Youth and Children
Develop age-appropriate programming that explores themes of belonging, justice, and care for neighbors.

8. Coordinate Across Meetings
Burlington, Haddonfield, and Salem Quarterly Meetings can amplify impact through shared calendars, joint actions, and mutual support.

9. Use Digital Witness
Share messages, images, and stories online to raise awareness and invite broader participation.

10. Stay Grounded in Worship
Return again and again to silent waiting, seeking guidance from the Inward Light.

“Let your lives preach.” — George Fox

May we be found to be our best selves in community as we remain faithful in this time.

Ongoing Quaker Study (Pendle Hill Pamphlets)

Explore resources from Pendle Hill:

1. “A Testament of Devotion” – Thomas R. Kelly
   Classic PH Pamphlet on inward grounding. Helps Friends root outward action (sanctuary, resistance) in deep spiritual centering.
2. “The Powers That Be” – Walter Wink
   Examines War, economic systems and domination. Illuminates how detention structures operate as spiritual and political “powers.”
3. “Our Life is Love” – Marcelle Martin
   Stories of faithful obedience. Encourages courage in following leadings toward justice and accompaniment.
4. “Walking in the World as a Friend” – Nadya Williams (or similar Friend-focused praxis text)
   Explores daily Quaker witness—useful for integrating sanctuary practices into ordinary life.
5. “Beyond Consensus” – Barry Morley
   Guidance on discernment in conflict. Vital for Meetings navigating differing views on public witness.
6. “The Prophetic Stream” – Doug Gwyn
   Connects early Friends’ radical witness to today. Frames anti-detention work as continuation of prophetic tradition.

Use Together:
Pair pamphlet study with worship sharing, local organizing, and creative witness. Let learning move into action—Sanctuary Everywhere.