Domestic policy

In the United States, Mennonite Central Committee works through four regional offices and national program services, seeking to collaborate with congregations and communities to serve in the name of Christ. Guided by MCC’s programs and constituent denominations in the U.S., our office calls for the passage of humane immigration laws, criminal justice reform, gun violence prevention policies and responsible environmental stewardship.

	Immigration The Biblical tradition is one that instructs its followers to welcome strangers – as we welcome the stranger, we welcome Jesus himself. Instead, immigrants to the United States, whether documented or undocumented, often face a culture of unwelcome. The current system is ineffective, unjust, and causes needless suffering. Immigration resources
	Criminal justice reform Leading the world in incarceration, the U.S. struggles to find a balance between justice and punishment. Since the 1970s, the primary focus of criminal justice policy has been getting criminals off the streets. This narrative has led to a great increase of those in prison, mostly incarcerated for nonviolent offenses, and large racial disparities in the criminal justice system. U.S. criminal justice policy
	Gun violence prevention Gun violence is epidemic in the United States, with approximately 30,000 gun deaths each year. Our shared humanity compels us to care about God’s children dying from gun violence on the streets of Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and elsewhere. To effectively curb gun violence, federal policymakers must pass laws that would eliminate illegal gun trafficking and straw purchasing, pass universal background checks on all gun transactions, ban firearms with unnecessary and harmful military-grade elements that have little to no hunting or sporting use, and support mental health services and research on how to holistically address gun violence in this nation. A Loaded Conversation
	Environment The Bible tells us that we are stewards of God’s good gift, the Earth, with all of its beauty and resources. MCC’s environmental fieldwork both in the U.S. and around the world has focused primarily on reforestation, sustainable agricultural education, and providing safe drinking water. Our office advocates for government policies that promote sustainability and responsible stewardship. U.S. climate change policy