On June 10th, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), along with many other religious and secular nonprofit institutions, received a letter from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security. The letter, which was signed by the Committee’s Chair, U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) and U.S. Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-OK), the Chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability, asked for information related to, in their words, “the improper use of federal funds by NGOs to facilitate illegal immigration.”

The UUA responded timely to the Committee by letter. In the letter (full text below), Adrienne K. Walker, the UUA’s General Counsel, says, “As a moral and religious commitment, [Unitarian Universalists] reject any violations of the human rights and dignity of immigrants, regardless of citizenship status, including denial of due process or civil rights protections, the increased risks of human trafficking and exploitation, and violent and capricious immigration law enforcement actions.”

“While the stated purpose of the Letter relates to the purported use of federal resources, certain aspects of the Letter and survey appear to target the UUA and its members’ fundamental rights to exercise their religious practices protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. As a religious organization freely exercising its long-standing faith and beliefs and within its rights, the UUA serves its religious communities and extends its ministry in keeping with fundamental UU religious values for justice, compassion and freedom,” also says Walker in the UUA’s response.

Unitarian Universalism has a longstanding commitment to supporting the rights of immigrant communities. Most recently, at the UUA’s 2025 General Assembly that concluded on June 22nd, 99 percent of delegates voted in support of an Action of Immediate Witness that asserts that immigrants are people who have inherent worthiness and inalienable rights.

Text of UUA Letter Sent to U.S. Rep. Mark Green and Rep. Josh Brecheen

June 24, 2025

VIA EMAIL 

Mark E. Green, MD, Chairman

Josh Brecheen, Chairman, Subcommittee on Oversight Investigations, and Accountability

House of Representatives
Committee on Homeland Security
H2-176 Ford House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Re: Response to June 10, 2025 Letter Concerning Federal Resources (the “Letter”)

Dear Chairman Mark Green and Chairman Josh Brecheen,

This firm serves as counsel to the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and I am designated as their outside General Counsel. We are in receipt of the above referenced Letter from the Committee on the Homeland Security (the “Committee”) and delivered to The Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt, President of the UUA. It is our understanding that the Letter is substantively identical to letters directed to approximately 200 other nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that the Committee suspects may be using federal funds to assist immigrants in meeting their critical life-safety service needs such as food, water, translation, transportation and temporary shelter. Please accept this letter as a response to both the Letter and accompanying survey (together, this “Response”).

As set forth in the Letter, the Committee aims to understand the scope and magnitude of the federal government’s financial involvement with the UUA between January 19, 2021 and January 20, 2025. (the “Time Period”). To answer your question, to the UUA’s knowledge after reasonable review, the UUA did not receive any grant, contract, or other form of disbursements from the federal government in the Time Period.

While the stated purpose of the Letter relates to the purported use of federal resources, certain aspects of the Letter and survey appear to target the UUA and its members’ fundamental rights to exercise their religious practices protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. As a religious organization freely exercising its long-standing faith and beliefs and within its rights, the UUA serves its religious communities and extends its ministry in keeping with fundamental UU religious values for justice, compassion and freedom. Furthermore, the UUA objects to any use of the Letter, including the linked survey, to intimidate or interfere with Constitutionally protected rights of free speech and free exercise of religious practices.

By way of brief background, the UUA is a religious denomination formed in 1961 by the union of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America, with membership comprising more than 1,000 UU congregations and religious communities nationwide. Many UUA member congregations trace their history to America’s founding churches, first gathered by the Pilgrims and Puritans in the 1600s. The UUA’s religious communities welcome all people who embrace their shared values, rooted in a faith tradition that is inspired and enriched by many religious sources. Unitarian Universalism honors the Biblical teachings from our Christian forbearers to welcome the stranger, and further draws on the heritages of freedom, reason, hope, and courage. Unitarian Universalists (UU’s) covenant, congregation-to-congregation and through the UUA, to support and assist one another in the congregations’ ministries. Love is the power at the center of UU’s inseparable and deeply interconnected shared values of interdependence, pluralism, justice, transformation, equity and generosity.

As the central religious organization of a faith tradition long preceding the founding of our country, the UUA has consistently recognized that immigration is a moral issue. Religious values and principles compel UU’s to honor the inherent worthiness of all immigrants as people, to minister to and with them, and to advocate for their just and humane treatment (see Immigration as a Moral Issue). As a moral and religious commitment, UU’s reject any violations of the human rights and dignity of immigrants, regardless of citizenship status, including denial of due process or civil rights protections, the increased risks of human trafficking and exploitation, and violent and capricious immigration law enforcement actions.

We trust this Response adequately addresses the questions in your Letter. The responses provided herein, however, shall not in any way be deemed to abridge, waive or otherwise modify the UUA’s First Amendment rights, including freedom of speech and right to freely exercise Unitarian Universalism’s beliefs and conscience rights.

Sincerely yours,
Adrienne K. Walker

cc:

Carey McDonald, Executive Vice President
The Honorable Bennie Thompson, Ranking Member
The Honorable Shri Thanedar, Rank Member, Subcommittee on Oversight Investigations, and Accountability

Further Reading

• UUA Response to U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security Inquiry (PDF)