I am a constituent of North Carolina and a United Methodist. My faith calls me to advocate for and welcome refugees.

I call on Sen. Richard Burr, Rep. Richard Hudson and Sen. Thom Tillis to do the same: stop the administration from cutting the number of refugees the U.S. admits next year, as proposed in Executive Order 13888.

As a Christian, I believe that the words in Leviticus 19:33-34 present God’s vision for welcoming refugees: “The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.”

And, as a United Methodist, my church teaches that migrant rights are human rights. The United Methodist Church reminds us “Christians do not approach the issue of migration from the perspective of tribe or nation, but from within a faith community of love and welcome.”

I urge Burr, Hudson and Tillis to reject lowering the cap of refugees admitted to the U.S. in 2020. Please return to resettling 95,000 refugees in 2020.

Justice and hospitality for refugees is critical to our identity as Americans. It is also vital to my Christian faith. As a follower of Jesus, loving your neighbors involves taking legislative action to welcome refugees.

I urge Burr, Hudson and Tillis to use their time and attention to this very important matter.

John Bryant

Salisbury