By Bob Allen
A Baptist pastor is featured in a new television commercial opposing Alabama’s immigration law unveiled by a group of Alabama clergy April 3.
Steve Jones
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“We believe in reaching out and ministering to our community. Yet, under Alabama’s immigration law, we could be prosecuted for following God’s call to be Good Samaritans,” Steve Jones, pastor of Southside Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., says in the spot sponsored by Faith Leaders for a Welcoming Alabama.
Jones is one of about two dozen faith leaders from across the state in the coalition opposing Alabama’s HB 56, widely regarded the nation’s strictest law against undocumented immigrants.
Joined by other clergy at a press conference at the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Jones said their opposition to the bill is “a faith matter, not a political matter.”
“What would Jesus do?” Jones asked. “Jesus would be welcoming and caring for all people in the community. If we take the Bible and Jesus’ teaching seriously, there’s no way we can sweep this under the rug.”
Jones appears in and narrates the ad that premiered Tuesday and is scheduled to air for two weeks. The 30-second spot urges citizens to tell their legislators that the law they passed last year is having a negative impact on the state.
“Farmers’ crops are rotting in the fields because there aren’t enough workers for the harvest,” Jones says in the commercial. “Teachers are forced to act like immigration agents instead of educators. The new law hurts children and families, and doesn’t reflect the values of our faith. Call your legislators today.”