I haven’t posted an update to our weekly clergy vigils at the Dallas ICE Field Office for a few weeks. For context, a group of clergy called “CLEAR DFW” has held weekly vigil there since the first Monday in May.
We pray with migrants, we pray that ICE agents act justly and not harm their own souls.
Yesterday, we began a new strategy/tactic: Encouraging each arriving migrant to fill out ICE’s own release form…that would allow a family member, clergy, or others to visit them, should they be detained.
We now have seen months of distraught family, showing up, only to be turned away because this form was not on file. Without this form, there is no legal way for a family member to visit a detained person. They literally disappear into ICE’s system.
It is very clear to us, observationally, and through our work with partners activists: ICE is INCREASING the numbers of those detained.
As a reminder: ICE’s own data shows the majority of folks they detain now have no criminal record, or prior interaction with law enforcement AT ALL. NONE.
Only 10% of the thousands now being detained each week have what is defined as a serious prior criminal offense or charge.
We urge the public to trust this data and their own eyes and understand how horrifically ICE is harming our neighborhoods and cities, and specifically harming migrant families.
We’re grateful to Sandra Avalos (St. Thomas the Apostle) and Rev. Rocio Bahime (Lovers Lane UMC). Yesterday, they did the specific work of explaining the from to those who were entering.
Sandra and Rev. Julie Harding (Northaven UMC) describe the morning here:
Almost every person…around 30 persons…filled out the form. That tells us something about their anxiety and concern.
This is MINISTRY for us, not protest.
Solidarity, not legal advice.
This is ministry of presence and accompany-ment.
This is a way to make help our neighbors being most harmed by our government, right now.
We need more volunteers!
We would like to cover as many days possible. We are putting out a general call to all volunteers —especially Spanish speakers— to join us for a weekly shift. Feel free to reach out to me or to any CLEAR member you know.
CLEAR DFW )“Clergy League for Emergency Action and Response”) is a loose coalition of more than 40 DFW-area faith leaders, including Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and more. We represent many local faith communities and denominations, and self-organized during these past months, in order to respond to response with faith and justice to what is happening in our city now.