Religious leaders gathered Wednesday at the Texas Capitol to condemn recent ICE-related deaths in Texas, Maine and Florida and to demand that federal immigration agents end a “terror campaign” against migrants.

“We grieve every death, every act of violence, and every enforcement practice that unnecessarily endangers human life or diminishes the God-given dignity of our immigrant neighbors,” said Bishop Sue Briner with the Southwestern Texas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

“When fear begins to shape the daily lives of our neighbors, it is time for the church to show up,” she said.

A news conference inside the Capitol brought together leaders from the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, the South Central Conference of the United Church of Christ, the National Council of Jewish Women and more. Texas Impact, an interfaith grassroots network, organized the event.

The religious leaders condemned the “grave moral evil” of deportations, detention centers and enforcement-related deaths involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and urged ICE agents and government officials to “examine their conscience.” Those who determine that their actions are immoral should “resign and find other work,” said Jim Harrington, who works with immigrants at St. James Episcopal Church in Austin.

“Following orders is never a justification in the Christian tradition — nor in international law — to perpetuate evil,” Harrington said.

Dan De Leon, senior pastor at Friends Congregational Church in College Station, invoked the Sermon on the Mount. “Jesus says, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.’ Notice that Jesus does not say, ‘Blessed are the peacekeepers,’ which is what ICE alleges to be doing in our communities,” he said.

Jewish leaders turned to their faith as well: “Jewish tradition teaches that whoever saves a life saves the entire world, and conversely, whoever destroys a life destroys the whole world,” said Bettie Forman with the National Council of Jewish Women.

Others called for accountability and transparency.

“Candidates for law enforcement must be properly vetted, fully and carefully trained, and held accountable when they do not meet appropriate standards,” said Elyse Rosenberg, who represented the National Council of Jewish Women and is a member of Temple Beth Shalom in Austin.

“Throughout our history, we have repeatedly seen first-hand the consequences of governments exercising unchecked power on vulnerable populations,” she said, adding that accountability includes impartial investigations of agent-involved shootings.

The religious leaders also pressed for:

• Clear limits on the use of lethal force and an end to dangerous tactics when pulling over vehicles.
• Restrictions on using unmarked vehicles and plainclothes agents.
• Clearly visible identification and body cameras for federal immigration agents.
• Independent oversight of ICE operations with meaningful consequences if agents violate policy or the law.

Families also deserve humanity and should never learn through social media that a loved one has been detained, seriously injured or killed, said Grace Bonilla with Texas Impact.

The news conference was organized in response to the July 7 death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during a traffic stop by ICE agents in Houston.

“We are here today because Texans of faith and conscience refuse to accept what we witnessed in Houston as proper immigration enforcement,” Bonilla said.

“That conviction does not conflict with border security. We recognize the federal government’s responsibility to enforce our immigration laws and maintain our borders, but enforcement must never come at the expense of human life,” she said.

Texas Rep. Vikki Goodwin, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, attended the news conference, calling the religious leaders’ requests reasonable and encouraging legislators to pay heed.

“I think the local or state government can have an impact on federal government by saying, ‘You’re coming into our state, this is what we want to see here.’ We want safety, not ICE agents who are wearing masks, who are frightening our community.”

“This is not a partisan issue; this is a humanity issue,” Goodwin said.

This story is published through a collaboration between The Texas Tribune and Religion News Service.

Disclosure: Vikki Goodwin has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in The Texas Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.