Dallas Clergy Vigil At ICE Headquarters

A Weekly Vigil Begins Today

NOTE!
This post is now a week old.

PLEASE FIND CURRENT INFO ON TODAY’S VIGIL at the link just below this….

Later this morning, a small group of clergy will begin a weekly Vigil outside of Dallas ICE Headquarters.
This action comes from the collective will of a group of more than 40 clergy who gathered last Monday for a press conference.


To be as clear as possible, our intentions will be the following:

1. Non-violent witness to our faith, as guaranteed to us by the US Constitution.
2. The demand that immigrants, migrants, and asylum seekers be treated with respect and dignity.
3. Expressing our concern that indescriminant and secret arrests and detentions sends wave of fear among law abiding Americans too.
4. The urgent plea that all persons must be given their due process rights under our system of laws.
5. The reminder that we cannot both tell people to "do it the right way," and then also change the laws/processes related to the "right way."
6. Prayer...we are people of prayer and we will offer prayer.
7. A demand for accountability, specifically from ICE, for disturbing stories of those deported with no clear criminal record, or threat of harm.

Individual clergy may likely add to, or emphasize specific elements of these examples...based on their own spiritual tradition and personal experience.

We intend to make this vigil weekly...over time...to demand justice, compassion, and fairness as our faith call us to.

I personally come from the United Methodist tradition. And so, I'd like to remind United Methodists of our polity, readopted in 2024, as it pertains to these issues:

"Raids of workplaces, homes, and other social places have often violated the civil liberties of migrants. Migrants should be given due process and access to adequate legal representation. Due to these raids and the ensuing detentions and deportations that follow them, families have been ripped apart and the migrant community has been forced to live in a constant state of fear.
To refuse to welcome migrants to this country-and to stand by in silence while families are separated, individual freedoms are ignored, and the migrant community in the United States is demonized by members of Congress and the media—is complicity to sin....

The United Methodist Church affirms the worth, dignity, and inherent value and rights of all persons regardless of their nationality or legal status. United Methodist churches throughout the United States are urged to build bridges with migrants in their local communities, to learn from them, celebrate their presence in the United States and recognize and appreciate the contributions in all areas of life that migrants bring. We call upon all United Methodist churches to engage in the following:
advocate for legislation that will uphold the civil and human rights of all migrants in the United States and will provide an opportunity to attain legal status for all undocumented migrants currently in the United States, as well as for those arriving in the future..."

(Paragraphs from Resolution 4271 of the UMC Book of Resolutions...Full text here)
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Please continue to pray for our nation and it's leaders.
Please continue to pray for families harmed by these actions.
Please pray for those clergy will will stand for justice and mercy in the coming weeks.

EF

UPDATES: POST VIGIL INFO/THOUGHTS

Below Our Updates after the initial post

I urge to read this marvelous and powerful reflection from Rev. Ashley Ann Sipe, our clergy sister, who was with us yesterday. She perfectly incapsulates our intention for these vigils:

READ IT HERE.

My Own Pictures are Here:

Much thanks to Robert Wilonsky of the Dallas Morning Newss for His Coverage:
Read Wilonksy’s story.

One of our members, Brett Shipp, created this nice Instagram.

And later in the week, Rev. Laurie Anderson wrote “Prayer Is Protest” as a helpful reminder about what we are doing and the history of this kind of ministry.

May 12th Info will be here: