Media Contact:
Suzanne Morse
Ph: 617-948-4650
Email: pr@uua.org

Boston, Mass. (January 29, 2026) – The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) firmly supports the association’s President, the Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt, who today was arrested by Capitol Police as she protested with leaders from various religious traditions the Department of Homeland Security budget.

Earlier today, President Sofía joined several religious leaders near the Capitol grounds to highlight the violations of basic moral decency that the nation has experienced over the last several months, and specifically in Minnesota over the last few weeks. Additionally, they advocated against the passage of the budget that funds the federal agency overseeing ICE and Customs and Border Patrol actions.

“There is no moral justification for voting for a budget that will put more resources into the hands of people in the Republican Administration and the leadership at the Department of Homeland Security, which have repeatedly shown themselves to be morally bankrupt,” said Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt earlier today. “As religious leaders, we have a moral and ethical obligation to show up and say that this will not be done in our name.”

Her full remarks can be read at the UUA’s website at the In Good Faith blog.

Unitarian Universalists (UUs) affirm a set of shared values — including pluralism, interdependence, justice, and generosity — as matters of religious faith. Additionally, UUs hold sacred the belief that love lives at the center of all that UUs do. The UUA believes that Rev. Dr. Betancourt acted today in complete accordance with UU religious values and that she represents the views of the vast majority of Unitarian Universalists in both word and action.

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About the UUA:

The UUA is the central organization for the Unitarian Universalist (UU) religious movement in the United States. Our faith is diverse and inclusive and the UUA’s 1000+ member congregations are committed to shared values and principles that hold closely the worthiness and dignity of each person as sacred, the need for justice and compassion, the right of conscience, and respect for the interdependent nature of all existence.