Imam Bajwa: There is power in the prayer of the oppressed. Rabbi Schaefer: Spreading light to others doesn’t deplete the flame. Rev. Scott Marks of New Haven Rising: “I think about my ancestors ripped away from everything they knew, brought to this country to be tortured as slaves” — a life in which “you could have your family ripped away from you” at any moment. Rev. Brundige: “No human being is illegal.” Standing in a circle of 100 people outside the Church Street federal courthouse, 4-year-old Joshua and 6-year-old Patricio used their red whistles to let out two sharp blasts — demonstrating a signal to let others know if immigration agents are nearby. Then, the two boys showed the crowd what to do if immigration agents are actively arresting someone, using the whistle to make a long, loud, continuous sound. The whistles were an effort to resist the very agency that had separated Patricio and Joshua from their mother, Gladys Tentes-Pitiur, for over four months this year. The children stood with their mother, from time to time taking her hand, at a vigil held a block and a half away from the very spot where federal immigration agents had seized Tentes-Pitiur in July. After obtaining asylum status in an increasingly rare outcome, Tentes-Pitiur was able to return to New Haven and reunite with her children in late November. The three of them now sleep in a nearby church, according to Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA) organizer John Lugo, who helped her fight to get home and is now working to find her housing. The family of three joined about 100 others outside the U.S. District courthouse at 141 Church St. to honor all those detained and deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The vigil was organized by an interfaith group of clergy and advocates as well as by ULA, Connecticut Students for a Dream, and New Haven Immigrants Coalition. A press release sent out in advance of Thursday’s gathering described the vigil as local clergy and immigrants rights leaders standing in solidarity to “honor the kidnapped and deported.” “In these dark times, we gather to name and honor the people who have been kidnapped by ICE and torn from their families,” Connecticut Students for a Dream Executive Director Tabitha Sookdeo is quoted as saying in that press release. “These are our members and their loved ones. By coming together in candlelight, we are saying clearly that our communities will not accept a system that thrives on fear and family separation.” Shortly after sunset, across the street from the multicolor glow of the Christmas tree on the Green, each attendee received a candle. A flame spread from candle to candle as attendees lent their flames to light their neighbors’ wicks. Soon, everyone held a piece of a collective fire. The moment was symbolic of a mentality of abundance, noted Rabbi Daniel Schaefer from Congregation Mishkan Israel. “The beauty of lights is that my ability to light your candle doesn’t diminish my light… There is enough for all of us.” Schaefer connected the vigil and its meaning to the story of Chanukah, in which ancient Israelites fought the persecution of an “evil tyrant” and sustained themselves through light that at first appeared to be to scarce to last. Schaefer wasn’t the only spiritual leader on Thursday to find sacred parallels between immigrants in ICE detention and a variety of holy religious figures. Imam Omer Bajwa invoked the story of Yusuf in the Qu’ran, a man who was imprisoned even when his captors “knew he was good.” “Even when he was alone, Joseph never accepted his powerlessness,” said Bajwa. Like Yusuf’s captors, he said, “ICE may claim custody over these bodies, but they do not gain guardianship” over the people themselves. Bajwa then quoted another teaching connected to the spiritual power of those in ICE custody: “Beware the prayer of the oppressed, for there is no distance between it and God.” And Rev. Ally Brundige observed that “Jesus and his holy family had to flee the policing agents of Herod.” Meanwhile, speakers highlighted a few specific actions for interested attendees to take in support of local immigrant advocacy efforts. Brundige called on the vigil’s attendees to advocate for Gov. Ned Lamont to issue an executive order that would try to restrict the president’s use of Connecticut’s National Guard without the state’s consent. Pastor Jack Perkins Davidson of Spring Glen Church called on attendees to boycott Avelo, an airline operating locally out of Tweed New Haven Airport that has contracted with the Trump Administration to conduct deportation flights. Lugo invited the crowd to a fundraiser for Tentes-Pitiur’s family this Saturday starting at 6 p.m. to help them gather enough funds for rent and a security deposit now that Tentes-Pitiur has come home. And the organizers handed out red whistles to use upon witnessing ICE presence, a tactic that has taken hold in cities like Chicago, Seattle, Minneapolis, and New York. Together, the candle holders sang “This Little Light of Mine,” “Oyé, Mi Gente,” “When The Spirit Says,” and more. They held two separate moments of silence. For a few minutes, the only audible sounds in that corner of Downtown were the soft roar of city buses and the occasional crunch of a child’s foot in the snow. During the silence, Tentes-Pitiur closed her eyes and whispered what seemed to be a prayer. Beside her, the two boys lifted their candles with gusto. Soon, Brundige read aloud the names of people who died in ICE custody over the past year: Abelardo “Lalo” Avellaneda-Delgado, 68. Brayan Garzón-Rayo, 27. Chaofeng Ge, 32. Gabriel Garcia Aviles, 56. Genry Ruiz Guillen, 29. Huabing Xie, 47. Isidro Perez, 75. Ismael Ayala-Uribe, 39. Jesus Molina-Veya, 45. Johnny Noviello, 49. Juan Alexis Tineo-Martinez, 44. Lorenzo Antonio Batrez Vargas, 32. Maksym Chernyak, 44. Marie Ange Blaise, 44. Miguel Angel Garcia-Hernandez, 32. Nhon Ngoc Nguyen, 58. Norlan Guzman-Fuentes, 37. Oscar Rascon Duarte, 56. Pankaj Karan Singh Kataria, 60. Ramesh Amechand, 60. Santos Reyes-Banegas, 42. Serawit Gezahegn Dejene, 45. Tien Xuan Phan, 55. Pastor Josh Williams of Elm City Vineyard offered a prayer for God to “be a presence for those aching for people they lost or almost lost or maybe they fear they will lose.” Gladys Tentes-Pitiur closes her eyes for a moment of silence, while her sons hold up their candles triumphantly. The post Vigil Honors Immigrants “Kidnapped” By ICE appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less