A Prayer Vigil in support of immigrants detained at McHenry County Jail and threatened
Dreamers will be held at Bates Park,
1500 North Seminary Avenue in Woodstock
this Sunday evening, October 22 from 7 to 8 pm.
The
public witness is in response to two events that have highlighted the distress of immigrant
families.
 |
| ICE prisoners in McHenry County Jail recieving pastoral care through the Jail Ministry of the Interfaith Committee for Detained Immigrants. |
In
September Sheriff Bill Prim refused to
accept bail for an undocumented
immigrant, Niceforo Macedo-Hernandez,
and detained him for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) in defiance to the newly
enacted Illinois Trust Act which forbids local law enforcement agencies from
detaining someone solely because of
their immigration status. ICE whisked Macedo-Hernandez to an out of state facility before a court
challenge to the Sheriff’s action could
be heard. Prim cited the County Jail’s contract
as Immigrant Detention Center as justification
for his action and has since continued
to refuse bail as required by Illinois law.
Shortly
after President Donald Trump issued
an executive order reversing the protection to Dreamers
under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival
(DACA) program for young people brought
to the United States as children
who have made lives here and are pursuing an education, career, or
who are even serving in the military. Although the order has been challenged in court and the President
has indicated he would support
Congressional action to protect the Dreamers in exchange for a laundry-list
of strict and punitive immigration “reforms”,
the future of countless young people
has been thrown into question. Arrests
and deportation proceedings have
already begun including targeting of public spokes persons for
the Dreamers.
 |
| Carlos Acosta. |
The
Sunday vigil was organized by concerned members of the community including Carlos Acosta, former leader of the McHenry County Latino Coalition and a Democratic candidate for County Board; Janie Galarza, the Latino
Program Coordinator for the domestic
violence agency Turning Point; and Pam
Shearman of the Interfaith Committee
on Detained Immigrants (ICDI) who oversees
the Jail Ministry at the McHenry
County Jail ICE Detention unit. Community supporters include the Social Justice Team of the Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist
Congregation.
 |
| Lou Ness |
Lou Ness, a long time McHenry County activist, an ordained Deacon in the Episcopal Church, and a police chaplain will officiate. Participants
are asked to bring candles or flashlights but no signs for this solemn
event.
For
further information visit the Facebook event page Interfaith
Prayer Vigil.
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