Faith leaders come together to defend immigrant communities amid federal raids

More than a dozen religious leaders of a range of confessions worked towards the steps of the federal building in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday evening, flowers in hand, calling at the end of the federal immigration raids which, according to them, tore families and led to racial profiling.

At the start of the Plaza Olvera procession, the Reverend Tanya Lopez, principal pastor of the Christian church of Downey Memorial, told how last week, she looked at the federal in civilian agents invaded a constituent in the parking lot of her church. Despite her attempts to intervene, she said, the man was detained and she does not know where he is now.

“All our religious traditions teach us to love our neighbor, to leave the world with less suffering than when we find it, and this creates a trauma that cannot be defeated during the generations,” said Lopez.

The religious leaders of several denominations have left flowers on the steps of the federal building in downtown Los Angeles in honor of those detained during the recent immigration raids.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Federal implementation measures took place in southern California this week while the Trump administration proceeds to its processes to make mass deportations of immigrants in the country without documentation. Initially, President Trump concentrated his rhetoric on those who had committed violent crimes. But shortly after taking office, his administration clearly indicated that he considered anyone in the country without authorization to be criminal.

The raids – which overcome bus stops, home depot parking lots, meetings, farms and factories – prompted many immigrants to hide and, in some cases, to self -work.

Religious leaders walking on Wednesday called for the cessation of raids, claiming that immigrants were an integral part of the Los Angeles community and deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, regardless of documentation status. The march was organized by Voice and Pico California, which means that people improve communities thanks to the organization, the largest state -owned community organization network.

They brought their message through the city center, walking from Plaza Olvera to the federal building, dressed in a colorful costume reflecting Jewish, Sikh, Muslim and Catholic traditions, and unite in singing and prayer, in Spanish and English.

They called God, the Creator, the Holy, and prayed for healing and justice. They prayed for the hundreds of people who were detained or expelled and the families they left.

Father Brendan Busse of Dolores Mission Church looks at the crowd participating in an interconfessional demonstration on Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

In the crowd, Talia Guppy held purple flowers at her chest while she sang. Guppy said that she had learned that members of her episcopal church, St. Stephen’s Hollywood, had been detained during the Raid of the Ambient clothing factory in downtown, his church has since moved her online services to welcome people who are afraid of venturing from their home.

“We are here for them,” she said. “We will keep hope and keep faith until we get justice for them.”

At the end of the procession, the walkers approached the stages of the federal building. Officers from the Ministry of Internal Security left the building and kept the entrance while the clergy leaders bordered the steps. Inside, behind semi-inflating doors, rows of American navies stood instead.

The leaders called for peace and laid flowers on the steps in tribute to those who were detained.

“We come with flowers and we will continue to come with flowers as long as our loved ones are held in cages,” said Valarie Kaur, a Sikh chief. She turned her attention to the doors’ officers, who were stoic, and wondered how they wanted to remember history. Then she placed flowers at their feet.

Chef Sikh Valaria Kaur leaves a flower at the feet of federal officers who prepare the federal building in downtown Los Angeles.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

In the crowd, the demonstrators kept signs with images of the Virgin Mary and Mexican flags. The clergy asked them to be ready to defend their neighbors in the coming days.

Father Brendan Busse, Jesuit priest at the church of the Dolore mission in Boyle Heights, said that he had felt the impact of raids in his church. The dedicated members are no longer in the benches. Others call to ask if he is sure to come to the church. Fear is palpable.

“We must be a safe space for people, not only in our church, but in the whole neighborhood,” he said. “I cannot guarantee anyone that we are a completely safe space, but at least give them the feeling that in the difficult moment, we are holding together.”

This article is part of the time ‘ Actions report initiative,, funded by the James Irvine Foundationexploring the challenges faced by California’s economic divide.