Nationwide — Gospel singer Kirk Franklin criticized church leaders for staying silent on ICE actions affecting immigrant and Black communities. He urged religion leaders to talk out, citing Jesus’ immigrant roots and calling for compassion and motion.
Franklin spoke with Baller Alert on the 2026 Grammys, stating that many pastors keep away from talking about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and its latest operations. He careworn that the problem hits Black communities and different susceptible teams arduous.
The ICE crackdown has led to nationwide arrests, protests, and even violent incidents affecting U.S. residents. Franklin famous that celebrities like Kehlani, Dangerous Bunny, SZA, and Billie Eilish have already spoken out in opposition to these actions, however church leaders stay largely quiet.
Franklin stated church leaders shouldn’t ignore insurance policies that influence susceptible communities, together with Black households, and careworn that talking up displays true Christian values.
“I feel that we ought to be very intentional about being very vocal about, to begin with, Jesus’ momma and daddy have been immigrants. So we simply must be very cautious to not be smug and prideful. And I feel that we have to get within the streets and to have the ability to save and love as many individuals as we will,” Franklin stated, in accordance with Blavity. “And once I say ‘save,’ I’m not speaking about simply their souls — I’m speaking about their lives.”
He additionally pointed to broader challenges forward, together with job losses tied to advances in synthetic intelligence. “We must be feeding folks, caring for folks, looking for folks. As a result of the best way this authorities is occurring, with this transformation in AI, it’s gonna put lots of people out of labor. So we must be extra compassionate concerning the human race.”
