CLERGY & FAITH LEADERS
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Letter to U. S Representative Doris Matsui
The Honorable Doris Matsui
U.S. House of Representatives
501 I Street, Suite 12-600
Sacramento, CA 95814
August 25, 2025
Dear Congresswoman Matsui,
As faith leaders in Sacramento, representing many traditions, we write to you with deep concern for our immigrant brothers and sisters who are being held in inhumane conditions at the John E. Moss Federal Building at 650 Capitol Avenue. This is not only a matter of compassion; it is also a matter that falls under your vital responsibility of congressional oversight.
Our scriptures and teachings differ in language but are united in spirit: to welcome the stranger, to care for the vulnerable, to honor the dignity of every human being. In Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, Hinduism, and other faiths, we are reminded that how a society treats the most marginalized is a measure of its moral character. It is from this shared conviction that we appeal to you.
We have direct knowledge, confirmed by detainees’ families and four separate volunteers, that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is holding immigrants at the Moss building illegally and in degrading conditions. Because long-term facilities elsewhere are overflowing, detainees have been held for at least six days—though the Moss Building was never intended for more than short-term holding.
The reports are consistent and deeply troubling:
· Detainees are confined on the first floor and in the basement.
· They sleep directly on the hard floor, without beds.
· Meals consist of canned food, eaten while sitting on the floor, with no tables provided.
· Photographs show cockroaches inside the facility.
· Volunteers have observed rats running openly outside the building during the day.
· There are no showers, and it is unclear how or where detainees are permitted to wash.
· Toilet facilities may be inadequate for the numbers held.
These conditions dishonor the dignity of all human beings. They violate federal standards, and they are an affront to the moral conscience of our city and our state.
Congresswoman Matsui, we thank you for your moral leadership and for using your congressional authority to intervene. We ask you to continue to demand access and to take all necessary actions to end the use of the Moss Building as an unlawful detention site. We are willing to convene a delegation of clergy and faith leaders to accompany you on any further visits and to help you in this fight. Please do not hesitate to contact Tere Flores Onofre, Sacramento ACT Executive Director at (916) 389-8990 or tere@sacact.org, when the need arises.
You have long been a voice for the vulnerable in Sacramento. We thank you for helping to ensure that our community remains one where dignity, justice, and compassion prevail.
With faith and hope,
Rev. Gregory Stevens Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco
Reverend Carla Dietz Parkside Community Church
Rev. Jason Bense Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer/ Gethsemane Lutheran Church
Bishop Sandra K. Olewine California-Nevada Annual Conference, United Methodist Church
Father Thomas Lucas S.J. St. Ignatius Loyola Parish, Sacramento
Rev. Fr. Loreto B. Rojas, Jr. Holy Spirit Catholic Church
The Reverend Canon Megan Anderson Gartin Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
The Reverend Karen Sapio North Central California Presbytery
Pastor Jon Haug St. John's Lutheran Church
Rev Godfrey McIntyre CCNCN Christian Church Disciples of Christ
Rev. Dr. Karen Lebacqz Parkside UCC
Rev. April Alkema Presbyterian Church USA
Father Amer Awad Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church
Rev. Dr. Alan Jones Saint Marks United Methodist Church
Rev. Michael Dack Parkside Community Church (UCC)
Rabbi Mona Alfi Board of Rabbis and Cantors of the Sacramento Region
Rabbi David Azen Board of Rabbis and Cantors of the Sacramento Region
Rabbi Bill Blank Board of Rabbis and Cantors of the Sacramento Region
Rabbi Shula Calmann Board of Rabbis and Cantors of the Sacramento Region
Rabbi Seth Castleman Board of Rabbis and Cantors of the Sacramento Region
Rabbi Steve Chester Board of Rabbis and Cantors of the Sacramento Region
Rabbi Susan Conforti Board of Rabbis and Cantors of the Sacramento Region
Rabbi Matt Friedman Board of Rabbis and Cantors of the Sacramento Region
Rabbi Ben Herman Board of Rabbis and Cantors of the Sacramento Region
Rabbi Ricki Lobel Board of Rabbis and Cantors of the Sacramento Region
Rabbi Deni Marshall Board of Rabbis and Cantors of the Sacramento Region
Rabbi Alan Rabishaw Board of Rabbis and Cantors of the Sacramento Region
Rabbi Jeremy Simons Board of Rabbis and Cantors of the Sacramento Region
Rabbi Nancy Wechsler Board of Rabbis and Cantors of the Sacramento Region
Rabbi Greg Wolfe Board of Rabbis and Cantors of the Sacramento Region
Rev. Sara Stevens Nichols Center for Spiritual Awareness
Reverend Sharon Dunn Sacramento Center for Spiritual Living
Deacon Rommel Declines Good Shepherd Catholic Church
Rev. Jorge Domingues The Table UMC
Reverend Angel Rivero First United Methodist Church of Roseville
Rev. Dr. Kevin Kitrell Ross Unity of Sacramento Church
The Very Rev. Matthew Woodward Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
The Rev. James Richardson Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
The Reverend Anne Dryden McKeever Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
The Rev. Dr. Ann Hallisey Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Pastor Lesley Simmons South Sacramento Christian Center
Reverend Brother Seth Samuels Interfaith
Lead Pastor Karina Lyn Garcia The Bride’s Chamber
A message from Faith Leaders
December 22, 2023
Sacramento ACT is grappling with the crisis in Gaza and Israel. As a community organizing network rooted in faith, we value and recognize relationships as the heart of our work. A wisdom circle of faith leaders from diverse traditions within our network was convened. The following is their common statement:
Sacramento ACT is comprised of diverse, multi-racial, and multi-faith communities, all united in our collective pursuit to create impactful change within the city and county of Sacramento. The ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine grieves our hearts, and personally and profoundly impacts many individuals within our Sacramento Arab, Jewish and Muslim communities.
In the wake of the recent strife, our local community has witnessed disturbing incidents of Antisemitic and Islamophobic hate, manifesting as crimes and hateful rhetoric and threats targeting members of our fellowship. We stand in solidarity with those who bear the weight of loss, mourning loved ones cruelly affected by the atrocities in the region. Our profound grief fuels our call for a peaceful resolution, underscoring the urgent need for a bilateral ceasefire to halt the senseless loss of innocent lives, allow for humanitarian aid to those suffering, and mediate a safe release of all hostages.
Aligned with our religious missions, Sacramento ACT organizes to create a more just and fair community for everyone in the Sacramento region. In response to the escalating hate, we as faith leaders, pledge to invest additional time and resources into actively listening to, learning from, and standing in solidarity against the hate faced by our Arab, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh siblings. May God bless our collective efforts to contribute to a future where peace and justice prevail.
Signed,
Rabbi Mona Alfi
Rev. Dr. Pamela Anderson, Lakeside Presbyterian Church
Rev. Dr. David C. Bocock, Pioneer Congregational Church, Sacramento
Rev. Lucy Bunch, Unitarian Universalists of Sacramento
Rev. Dr. Carieta Cain-Grizzell, Fair Oaks UMC
The Rev. Canon Tina Campbell, Indigenous Missioner, Episcopal Diocese of Northern California
Rabbi Seth Castleman
Rev. Don Fado, Retired, St. Mark’s UMC
Rev. Jennifer Goto, Bread of Life Center
Rev. Alan Jones
Rev. Dr. Joy Johnson
Imam Yasir Khan, California State Assembly Chaplain
Rev. Amy Kienzle, St. John’s Lutheran Church
Rev. Dr. Tecoy Porter, Genesis Church
Rev. James D. Richardson, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Rev. Efrem Smith, Midtown Church
Pastor Les Simmons, South Sacramento Christian Center
The Most Rev. Jaime Soto, Bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento
Imam Julius Thibodeaux-Hasan, Masjid AsSabur
The Rt. Rev. Megan Traquair, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California
Rev. Rajeev Rambob, UCC
The Rev. James Richardson, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
The Reverend Dr. Kevin Kitrell Ross, Unity of Sacramento
Pastor Liz Vaiz, Casas de Paz Worshiping Community.
Pastor Alex Vaiz, Sierra Vista Community Church
Canon Julie Wakelee, Canon to the Ordinary the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California
Rabbi Nancy Wechsler, Congregation Beth Shalom
Rev. Quentisha Davis Wiles, St. Marks UMC
The Very Rev. Matthew Woodward, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Sacramento
Updated February 10, 2024 at 11:30am