TRUCKEE, Calif.—In the small town of Truckee in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, some 50 people—including leaders of a variety of faith traditions—gathered on July 25 to pledge their solidarity with immigrants who are under attack by the Trump regime. Speakers at the rally agreed that the struggle for immigrant rights had reached a critical point that called for more militant nonviolent action by supporters of immigrants.
United Methodist pastor Rebecca Irelan was vigorously applauded when, after pointing out that most major Christian denominations had expressed their support for immigrants, she said, “Issuing statements is no longer enough.”
Citing the Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire who declared that “we are entering a new era of martyrdom,” Irelan called on her audience to join church members “who are protesting at detention centers, marching and singing their resistance to ICE, confronting politicians and demanding policy changes, and organizing local efforts to support and protect immigrants and refugees in their communities.” 
Other speakers included Fr. Jorge Herrera of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Incline Village, NV; Rabbi Lauren Ben-Shoshan, North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation, Tahoe Vista, CA; Alejandro Murillo, local No Kings organizer; and Erin Kilmer Neel and Rev. Clare Novak of Indivisible Tahoe Truckee.
Speakers called for political action to protest ICE atrocities, to denounce its lack of transparency and independent oversight, and to demand independent investigations into ICE crimes and protection of witnesses to them.
The rally, hosted by Indivisible Tahoe Truckee, was specially dedicated to the memory of Lorenzo Salgada Araujo and Iojan Sabastian Duran Guerrero, legal immigrants who were recently murdered by ICE agents. Their names, and those of the more than 70 who died at ICE’s hands since the beginning of this year, were read out in solidarity.
This vigil, one of about 300 nationwide, was organized in response to a call by a coalition of activist organizations, including Public Citizen, National Day Laborers Organizing Network (NDLON), The Workers Circle, Detention Watch Network and League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).
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