The tactics of masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents hunting down people of color evokes memories of the oppression Black Americans have faced throughout U.S. history, said Boise Kimber, president of the National Baptist Convention USA.
Boise Kimber
“ICE reminds us of the Ku Klux Klan with their facial identity, covering their faces when they go into the different cities and states around this country,” he said during the denomination’s recent midwinter gathering in Florida. “No (law enforcement) agency should come into our inner cities or our homes with their faces covered as if though they are hiding from someone.”
Faith-based condemnations of federal detention policies continue to multiply as the Department of Homeland Security escalates its violence against documented and undocumented immigrants, protesters and residents who happen to live in targeted communities.
ICE agents have begun using firearms in addition the non-lethal projectiles and tear gas they continues to use against clergy and other protesters in Democratic-controlled states such as Minnesota, epicenter of the administration’s anti-immigrant sweeps.
On Jan. 7, an ICE officer in Minneapolis fatally shot Renee Good as she sat in her vehicle near an ongoing raid, a killing the U.S. Department of Justice said it will not investigate. U.S. Border Patrol officers shot two people in Portland, Ore., earlier this month.
The chaos has inspired a rising chorus of Black clergy and other religious groups demanding the Trump administration scale back the scope and brutality of its immigration operations that are striking fear nationwide.
African Methodist Episcopal leaders in Minnesota issued a statement Jan. 14 lamenting Good’s death and the physical and emotional wounds being inflicted in the Twin Cities.
“We stand with those demanding an end to federal actions that have brought harm and terror to our city.”
“The AME Churches of the St. Paul-Minneapolis District stand in solidarity with our neighbors and community in calling for justice and accountability,” 10 regional leaders of the denomination said. “We stand with those demanding an end to federal actions that have brought harm and terror to our city. We stand with all who labor daily to protect one another through mutual aid, community networks and courageous presence.”
The AME district that encompasses the municipalities participated in a vigil for Good, a call to action at the state capitol and held “Know Your Rights” sessions in local communities. Congregations in the area continue to support observers of ICE raids, organize food drives for immigrants fearful of leaving home and patronize immigrant-owned businesses.
“This is a painful and frightening moment, but it is also one in which love can be made visible through courage, solidarity and care. May we choose a better way together,” the ministers said.
The United Methodist Church announced a congregation located two blocks from Good’s killing opened its doors for those grieving and struggling to restore faith amid ICE assaults on the community.
Lanette Plambeck
Bishop Lanette Plambeck, head of the denomination’s Dakotas and Minnesota conferences, reminded the large, multiethnic congregation “God is near the brokenhearted.” The bishop also suggested worshippers’ own experiences might help guide their response to the presence of ICE officers.
Methodists across the country have joined in peaceful protest and prayer vigils connected to Good’s death and another ICE-involved shooting in Portland, Ore., the denomination said.
“In Minneapolis and beyond, people braved ice and snow to stand up for their immigrant neighbors and speak out against what they see as a government increasingly hostile to large parts of the U.S. population,” Plambeck said.
Robert Barron
Bishop Robert Barron of the Catholic Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minn., pleaded with the federal government and protesters alike to take steps to de-escalate tensions.
“Violence, retribution, threats, protests, deep suspicion of one another, political unrest, fear — all of it swirling around all the time,” he said, adding those shouting at each other and demonizing opponents are increasing the tension.
“The Trump administration and ICE should limit themselves, at least for the time being, to rounding up undocumented people who have committed serious crimes. Political leaders should stop stirring up resentment against officers who are endeavoring to enforce the laws of the country. And protestors should cease interfering with the work of ICE,” he said.
Tanya Sadagopan
But Tanya Sadagopan, conference minister for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Minnesota, described the federal presence in the Twin Cities as an “unholy occupation of terror and turmoil” that will not endure.
“Know this, Scripture tells us agents of empire will fall,” she said the day Good was killed. “We renounce their culture of cruelty. We believe in the teachings of Jesus who holds the love of God and the love of neighbor above all other commandments.”
Kimber urged clergy and congregations across the country to press legislators for laws banning local, state and federal law enforcement agents from concealing their identities.
“We are in a place in America where we do not feel safe. Whether you’re white, brown or any other color, you are not safe in America today because of what is happening in America,” she said.
The states of Illinois and Minnesota, sued DHS Jan. 12 in separate lawsuits in an attempt to protect citizens from federal immigration enforcement tactics. Like Minnesota, Illinois also has experienced a significant ICE and Border Patrol presence, including the use of military-style operations to capture and detain immigrants.