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Letter to Mayor Hudson - Fort Pierce

 









Mayor Hudson, grace, and peace,

I wish you a happy 2026. I am writing to you as a pastor and as a person charged with the care of human beings who live, work, worship, and raise children in this city. I am asking you to take clear, public action to stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from operating in ways that harm our residents in Fort Pierce and to direct the Fort Pierce Police Department and all city agencies to end cooperation with ICE.

I see this as being grounded in both moral responsibility and practical public safety. It is also grounded in my theological conviction that every person bears the image of God, and that a government’s legitimacy is measured in part by how it treats those who are most exposed to harm.

The sacred text is consistent in its insistence that the stranger, the sojourner, and the immigrant are not marginal to the community’s obligations; but that they are central to them. From this vantage point, policies that make immigrants fear schools, hospitals, courts, workplaces, and even houses of worship violate both human dignity and the ethical responsibilities of a city. When people are driven into hiding, they become less safe, less able to report crimes, and less likely to seek help when they are harmed. I believe that this city and its agencies want safety for everyone. This being the case, we must protect trust.

As a United Methodist pastor, I also locate this appeal within our denomination’s social witness: we do affirm the dignity and worth of every person, advocate for just and humane treatment of migrants, and oppose practices that criminalize people for seeking life, safety, and stability. I appreciate law-keeping and support holding accountable those who rend the fabric of the community through poor actions. However, I urge us to examine laws that are unrighteous and unjust and created to protect/preserve some and not all. 

I am asking for concrete municipal actions that can be communicated clearly to residents and implemented consistently across city departments:

  1. Issue a mayoral directive ending city cooperation with ICE in ways that extend beyond what is strictly required by law, including:
    • refusing ICE “detainer” requests unless accompanied by a judicial warrant signed by a judge,
    • refusing voluntary participation in operations, surveillance, or joint tasking aimed at civil immigration enforcement,
    • prohibiting city personnel from inquiring about immigration status in routine interactions unless there is a specific legal requirement.
  2. Ensure the police department does not act as an arm of federal civil immigration enforcement, including:
    • no arrests, holds, or transfers solely to facilitate ICE,
    • no sharing of non-public personal data for immigration purposes,
    • no traffic enforcement used as a pretext for immigration questioning.
  3. Publicly affirm “safe access” to essential civic life, so residents know they can attend school events, receive medical care, report domestic violence, appear in court, participate in city meetings, and worship without fear of immigration retaliation.
  4. Review and cancel any agreements or practices that formalize ICE collaboration, including any 287(g)-style participation or equivalents, and require transparency around all contacts with ICE.
  5. Create a standing community advisory process including faith leaders, immigrant advocates, educators, and public health leaders so policies are shaped by those who are directly impacted.

I recognize that federal authority exists. I am not asking you to disrespect any of that. I am asking you to faithfully and empathetically exercise municipal authority and refuse voluntary entanglement with practices that erode due process, destabilize families, and widen fear across our neighborhoods.

We want to strengthen community trust, which will increase reporting of crime, and show survivors of violence supported. Children -citizens and non-citizens alike carry the anxiety of family separation into classrooms, neighborhoods, and congregations. This eventually blooms into how they see and engage the world as adults.

This city does not have to choose between law and compassion. We can choose due process, transparency, and restraint. We can choose policies that keep local resources focused on local safety rather than civil immigration enforcement. And we can choose to protect the fabric of community life.

I would welcome a meeting with you at your earliest convenience to have wider conversations about how we can immediately respond to the widespread fear and anxiety before us. Looking through the lenses of human decency, these are not the best of times. However, these times present opportunities for us to strengthen what is good, and uproot what does not serve the best interests of humanity. 

Following the unsanctioned actions of ICE and the police on Monday on the campus of Community UMC, I have made it clear that our campus is not to be used for any ICE operations. Mayor Linda, I offer you my strong support as you lead with courage and clarity. With every passing day, more of our neighbors learn to live in fear. My faith teaches me that God is found among the vulnerable, and that the measure of our public life is whether people can live without terror. I am asking you to help. I look forward to hearing from you and meeting with you. I continue to pray for the leaders of this City.

 

Respectfully,

Pastor Andrea

 

"Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public." - Dr. Cornel West

Check out my blog and book here: http://www.bafflingbible.blogspot.com 

 

Rev. Dr. Andrea Byer-Thomas

Pastor appointed at CUMC

3114 Okeechobee Road, Ft. Pierce, FL 34947

Ph: 772 461 2499

Email: cumc3114@gmail.com

Web: communityumfp.com

Facebook: cumcfpfl

IG: @communityumc.fp

 

 

Born and raised on The Gem of the Caribbean (Antigua and Barbuda), I am an immigrant living in the U.S. with my Fantastic Four and High School boops.

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