In a show of interfaith unity against the backdrop of fraught immigration enforcement, faith leaders across Arizona have been taking a stand. This past Sunday, a prayer vigil was held outside the Ice's (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Phoenix office to honor the recently departed Alex Pretti of Minneapolis and express solidarity with nonviolent protesters facing off with law enforcement in that city. Fox 10 Phoenix reports that among the attendees was Arizona Episcopal Bishop Jennifer Redsall, who said, "I think everyone is here tonight because what we’ve seen in Minneapolis and in cities around the United States is radically different from a sane and orderly immigration policy."
Despite the peaceful nature of the vigil, not all local religious leaders agreed with the demonstration. Baptist minister Reverend Jarret Barton Maupin, Jr. voiced a different opinion, advocating support for law enforcement and ICE's role, "We have to understand the impossible position law enforcement has been put in and understand Christ is with them too," Maupin said, according to the same report.
Similar sentiments of resistance and solidarity emerged in Southern Arizona, where faith leaders rallied in a Target parking lot in Tucson to protest actions by ICE and to demand systemic changes. "This current authoritarian regime and the sending of ICE into our cities without oversight is making many of our neighbors feel not only unwelcome but traumatically unsafe," retired Mennonite pastor Tina Schlabach told Arizona Luminaria during her speech. Schlabach, donning a stole etched with stories from asylum-seekers, underscored the strength derived from communal efforts against oppressive measures.
Resonating with this notion of communal fortitude was Rev. Bart Smith, a Presbyterian pastor in Tucson, he was quoted by Arizona Luminaria, emphasizing their alignment with Minneapolis faith leaders' demands, including the removal of ICE from Minneapolis, accountability for law enforcement, and a halt to more federal funding for the agency. Alongside the faith gathering, roughly 100 protesters amplified the call for action, their presence a testament to the growing numbers standing in opposition to ICE's current modus operandi.
The dual demonstrations in Phoenix and Tucson are emblematic of broader national discontent with immigration policy enforcement. In the mix of emotion and advocacy, Juan Cuellar from the Kino Border Initiative relayed harrowing encounters with ICE, advocating for continued awareness and resistance, "My message from the border for everybody here today is we can’t ignore what’s happening and we have to keep standing up. Maybe we can’t change the policies but we can’t keep just the silence," he told Arizona Luminaria. These events reflect not just a response to policies but a growing movement committed to human dignity and impervious to silence.
