(RNS) — As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, debates over national identity, religion and immigration have intensified. Was America founded as a Christian nation? A pluralistic democracy? A nation of immigrants? Who belongs, and who gets to decide?  

In 2026, these questions are not abstractions as America grapples with an immigration crisis. Immigrant and faith communities have been on the front lines, navigating the federal enforcement system, shaping public opinion and wrestling with questions of responsibility and morality. 

Religion News Service asked five prominent faith leaders and thinkers to weigh in. Their answers, in a new five-part video series beginning Thursday (June 25), are not uniform. Their perspectives reflect their different religious traditions, immigration experiences and personal visions of what America is and should be.  

The series features Georgia pastor and U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock; Rabbi Sharon Brous of IKAR in Los Angeles; historian John Fea of Messiah University; Tony Suarez, pastor and COO of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; and Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith America. 

In the opening episode (below), Patel argues “melting pot” is the wrong metaphor for America. Drawing on his experience as a Muslim immigrant from India, he proposes a different one: the United States as a “potluck nation” — a place where the expectation is not assimilation but contribution. Everyone brings something, and everyone is accountable to the table. 

New episodes will be added each week to RNS’ YouTube channel.

“What Does It Mean to Belong in America?” is a video project for the Atlas of American Belonging, Religion News Service’s multimedia initiative examining how belonging has been claimed, granted, challenged and denied at the intersection of faith and immigration. The Atlas is a project supported by the Henry Luce Foundation.