As presidential candidates continue to debate immigration and border policies, evangelical leaders from across the country sent a letter to Vice President Harris, Governor Walz, former President Trump and Senator Vance affirming core evangelical views on immigration.

Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals joined Myal Greene, president of World Relief, and 200 other signers in urging the candidates to consider evangelicals’ actual views on the topic. World Relief is generating national attention to the letter ahead of the vice presidential debate with an ad buy in North Carolina, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ohio.

“Politicians and journalists are sometimes surprised to hear the thoughtful, nuanced evangelical perspectives on immigration policy,” said NAE President Walter Kim. “Most evangelicals support neither open borders nor mass deportation.”  

Based on recent Lifeway Research polling, the letter outlines three key convictions that shape evangelical positions on immigration policy:   

  • Immigrants, like all human beings, are made in God’s image and have innate dignity.
  • Borders should be orderly and secure.
  • Immigration policies should prioritize family unity.   

The letter urges candidates to use these biblically informed principles to inform the rhetoric they use in discussions around immigration and to guide the policy solutions they craft.   

The NAE has long believed that Scripture teaches us that anyone in need is our neighbor (Luke 10:29–37) and that we are to welcome the stranger in our midst (Matthew 25:31–40).   

“We hope Vice President Harris and President Trump seriously consider these widely shared values as they campaign for the presidency,” Kim said.

Read & Sign the Letter