The full text of the letter follows.

Impelled by our faith and religious values, we respectfully urge Sheriff Arpaio to reconsider the wisdom and morality of the MCSO "crime sweeps." We call on the Sheriff to cease this excessive, wasteful, and divisive campaign.

Even if the Sheriff has legal authority to order these sweeps, we question his judgment in orchestrating them, the message that they send to our community, and the fear and anger that they generate in the targeted neighborhoods. These sweeps have evoked a "police state" atmosphere, involved detainment on the basis of a racial profile, and dehumanization of innocent people many of whom are legal residents of the United States. They have also generated anger and anxiety in an ethnic community that comprises more than one third of the population of Maricopa County. We are unconvinced that the law enforcement value of these sweeps outweighs the human rights and dignity of those who reside in the neighborhoods where they are carried out and the peace of our community.

We are also disturbed and surprised that there has not been more public outcry from non-Latinos about the Sheriff's conduct and the hateful and anti-immigrant rhetoric that it exacerbates. Regardless of one's position on the issue of immigration policy, we call upon those on both sides of the debate, especially other high profile figures in our community who influence public opinion to speak out against mean-spirited words and actions directed at the migrants and foreign-born residents among us. We call upon the higher instincts and motivations of our community to see the human face of these children of God who are the targets of these sweeps.

Bishop Kirk Smith
Episcopal Diocese of Arizona

Bishop Minerva Carcaño
Desert Southwest Conference, United Methodist Church

Bishop Steve Talmage
Grand Canyon Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

The Rev. Kenneth Moe, Executive Presbyter
Grand Canyon Presbytery, Presbyterian Church USA

The Rev. Jan Olav Flaaten
Executive Director, Arizona Ecumenical Council

Rabbi Maynard Bell
American Jewish Committee Arizona Chapter

Rabbi Andrew Straus
Board of Rabbis of Greater Phoenix

The Rev. Lark J. Hapke
Southwest Conference United Church of Christ

Bishop Smith also addressed this issue in his weekly e-mail on Saturday, April 12, available here.