Rev. Vanessa Rose, of First Church Congregational, in Fairfield, lit a candle Tuesday to honor the estimated 32 people who have died while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.
Rose then passed the light to someone else, then that person passed the light and so on, until soon the faces of those who filled the pews of the church were illuminated by candlelight.
Rose said the vigil commemorates their suffering, but it’s also a reminder of Christianity’s fundamental teachings, as a rebuke to xenophobia and as a way to show solidarity with members of the immigrant community.
“We have God's word, we have scripture, and that tells us all along how we are to treat one another,” Rose said.
The vigil comes just days after protests were held statewide over the killings of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota by ICE.
Rose and others say the vigil garnered local support. Other advocates say anger over immigration enforcement actions has led to more backing for local immigrant advocacy organizations such as Make the Road Connecticut.
The vigil also acted as a fundraiser for Make the Road Connecticut, which routinely offers legal workshops for immigrants and support for those facing legal proceedings.
Sonia Hernandez, an organizer for Make the Road Connecticut, said many people have signed up to volunteer with the group since the killings in Minnesota.
“It’s like people are waking up and seeing these attacks and systems aren’t just impacting undocumented people, but all of us,” Hernandez.
Hernandez joined clergy and others at the vigil as they sang traditional Christian hymns which included “This Little Light of Mine,” “Goodness is Stronger Than Evil,” and secular music like “This Land is your Land.” Hernandez has routinely spoken out against deportations and apprehensions by ICE in Connecticut.
Emma Barron, a Democratic member of the town’s Representative Town Meeting was moved to tears when asked what the event meant to her.
“I am beyond heartbroken at what’s happening; what has become in this country and the actions taken, the excuses that have been made for horrific violence,” Barron said.
This wasn’t the environment the church operated in decades ago, according to Rev. David W. Spollett, Pastor Emeritus. Spollett said the church helped resettle families from Vietnam and Cambodia in the 1970s, following the Vietnam War and amid conflicts in the region.
Spollett said the current level of xenophobia in the U.S. is the worst he’s ever seen. He said people who are against humane treatment of migrants and consider themselves Christians, are going against clear cut Christian teachings.
“For those of us who claim to be believing people, it's a complete repudiation of our religious tradition,” Spollett said. “It's a heresy.”
So far, many in town, according to Rose, have supported the vigil without any pushback. The church, she said, has held vigils before, after the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota, to previous vigils for immigrants. Actions like these, according to Rose, are making an impact, even as anger mounts over the killings and conduct of ICE and Border Patrol in Minnesota and beyond.
“I think people are realizing right now that by standing up and saying, what's right,” Rose said. “It actually is working. And it might be the only thing that will work when people come together as interfaith congregations and stand together.”
