Law, Compassion, and the Proper Role of the Pulpit and the People

In recent days, a post by Douglas County Watch criticized a sermon delivered by Pastor Bryan Fields of Grace Chapel Castle Rock. The post suggested that his message on immigration somehow made its way into the Capitol, and that my remarks in the well of the Colorado House of Representatives reflected that sermon.

Let me be clear.

My words on the House floor were my own. They were shaped by my oath, my conscience, and my duty to the people of House District 45. I do not take legislative cues from sermons. I take them from the Constitution, from the rule of law, and from the responsibility entrusted to me by voters.

In my well speech, I opposed an immigration resolution not out of anger, and not out of hostility toward immigrants. I opposed it because it failed to grapple honestly with the central issue. A nation that does not enforce its laws ceases to be governed by laws at all. Compassion divorced from order is not compassion. It is chaos.

We are a nation of immigrants. We are also a nation of laws. Those two truths are not in conflict. They require each other.

When laws are selectively enforced, or openly disregarded, the result is not mercy. The result is exploitation. Cartels profit. Traffickers thrive. Law-abiding families suffer. Local communities shoulder costs they did not create. None of this honors the dignity of immigrants who follow the legal process. None of this protects the vulnerable.

Some critics argue that moral language about borders and law enforcement is inherently political when spoken from a pulpit. But moral questions have always informed public life. The abolition of slavery was a moral argument. The civil rights movement was a moral argument. The question is not whether morality influences politics. It always does. The question is whether that morality respects both justice and order.

In my remarks, I emphasized that a functioning society requires three things.

First, clear standards. Laws must be understandable and consistently applied.

Second, equal enforcement. The rules must apply to everyone, not only to the compliant.

Third, lawful reform. If policies need to change, change them through the legislative process. Do not ignore them.

When we weaken those foundations, we undermine trust in government itself. And when trust erodes, unity fractures.

I understand that immigration is deeply personal. Many families in Colorado have immigration stories marked by sacrifice and perseverance. That is precisely why we must handle this issue with seriousness and clarity. Reducing it to slogans does not serve anyone.

My role as a legislator is not to win applause. It is to defend constitutional governance. That includes the hard work of saying no to measures that sound compassionate but fail to address root problems.

I welcome debate. I welcome disagreement. But let us debate substance.

Does the policy strengthen the rule of law?

Does it protect vulnerable people from exploitation?

Does it respect the constitutional framework that binds us together?

Those are the questions I will continue to ask.

I will not apologize for insisting that lawfulness and compassion must operate together. A nation without borders is not a nation. A nation without mercy is not just. America requires both.

That is the position I articulated in the well. It remains my position today.