Call for mercy and justice in detention facilities: Commentary by the Rev. Christine Stoxen
The following article by Rev. Christine Stoxen appeared in Arizona Capitol Times on September 12, 2025. Rev. Stoxen serves of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Chandler. AZ.
A group of people, including many from China, walks along the wall after crossing the border with Mexico to seek asylum on Oct. 24, 2023, near Jacumba, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
I was a stranger and you welcomed me
In the heart of Arizona, behind the walls of four ICE detention centers — including the Eloy Detention Center, Florence Service Processing Center, Florence Correctional Center, and Florence Staging Facilities, there are stories of suffering and neglect which continue to surface. More than 61,000 people are in detention as of Aug. 24, 2025.
Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse or TRAC, reports more than 2,600 are from Arizona. Those who have visited, including House Representatives Yassamin Ansari and Greg Stanton, have reported “sickening” conditions: overcrowded cells, mold-infested quarters, insufficient food and water, lack of medical care, and dehumanizing practices such as mandated strip searches following family visits. These accounts echo a troubling reality that contradicts the values of dignity and compassion upheld by our faith.
In Matthew 25, Jesus says “For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger, and you welcomed me … I was in prison, and you visited me.”
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has called for immigration reform rooted in mercy and justice.
In its social policy resolution, “Toward Compassionate, Just, and Wise Immigration Reform”, the ELCA affirms support for “more humane, less costly, and more effective alternatives to detention, such as supervised release programs.” When detention is deemed necessary, the resolution insists that “compliance with humane standards and access to vital services must be ensured at every facility housing detainees.” This follows the words from Isaiah 1: “Learn to do right, seek justice. Defend the oppressed.”
We are called to respond – not with silence, but with scripture, advocacy and prayer. These are not abstract ideals. They remind us that our faith is not confined to sanctuaries, but must be lived out in the community, in policy conversations, and in solidarity with those whose voices are silenced. As we see and experience these raids and hear stories as a community, we fear for our neighbors, those who work in our midst and their families. In the congregation I serve, one of the families has agreed to take in a child born in the states, because the child’s parents are detained. Actions by ICE are dividing families.
Along with Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona and the Grand Canyon Synod, I urge you to contact your congressional representatives and demand oversight of ICE facilities. While Congress works to implement compassionate, just and wise immigration reform, God’s people need to advocate for legal counsel, religious expression and humane treatment for all detainees.
As Christians, we are called to remember the imprisoned, welcome the stranger, and speak truth to power. In doing so, we live out and continue the radical hospitality of Christ — and proclaim that every person, regardless of status, is beloved by God.
Pastor Chris Stoxen serves Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 739 W. Erie St., Chandler. She received the 2025 Bedenbaugh Award from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary for faithful leadership, ministry and service.
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