An Evangelical leader spoke out in defense of the controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center in Florida, saying that Christians should support the use of the facility by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the Trump Administration because of its role in protecting innocent and vulnerable Americans.
For background, in a statement shared with The Christian Post, Sharayah Colter, the chief communications officer at the Danbury Institute, a nonpartisan group of Evangelical Churches, said that Christians should support what she described as “earnest efforts to secure the nation and uphold law and order,” referring to the controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center used to hold illegal immigrants.
In her statement, Colter said that when “non-citizens are lured to cross the border illegally” and “undertake a dangerous journey which they may not survive,” massive risks are created for innocent and vulnerable people. She added, “People inside and outside of America are taught by the actions of the nation that our laws are impotent.”
Continuing, Colter said that it is “wrong” to tell people that it is “OK to break the law,” adding that the Bible “calls people to obey the laws of the land so far as they do not cause a person to break God’s law.” She continued, “When a nation passes laws, the righteous thing to do is to uphold and enforce those laws. To act otherwise is both wrong and cruel.”
Furthermore, Colter made the case that Christians “can love all people they encounter and work to share the Good News with all they encounter” without breaking the laws of the land, saying that Christians should be “advocating for secure borders that protect innocent life and desiring a safe immigration process for those willing to enter the nation through legal routes.”
In contrast to Colter’s view, Alligator Alcatraz has become a magnet for protests, with the Associated Press reporting that hundreds gathered on the edge of the Everglades to protest the construction of the facility. Some protestors were reportedly primarily concerned about the environmental impact of the facility, with one telling a reporter, “It’s really important that we have a clear sense of any wetland impacts happening in the site.”
However, a spokesperson for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that the facility is a “necessary staging operation for mass deportations located at a preexisting airport that will have no impact on the surrounding environment.” In addition, Gov. DeSantis described the facility as extremely secure, saying, “Clearly, from a security perspective, if someone escapes, you know, there’s a lot of alligators.” He added, “No one’s going anywhere.”
On its website, the Danbury Institute, which Colter represents, describes itself as “an association of churches, Christians, and organizations aligned to affirm and preserve God-given rights to life and liberty by influencing culture and public policy, upholding the free exercise of religion, inspiring the vigorous involvement of an informed citizenry, and promoting Judeo-Christian values as the proper foundation for a free and prosperous republic.”
Featured Image Credit: Sharayah Colter via X