Despite the single-digit weather and snow on the ground, about 40 people joined a vigil outside of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in downtown Manchester on Tuesday afternoon. Attendees huddled in a tight circle for prayer, singing and a reading from the book of Micah before they paraded in front of the building seven times.
“I believe today, particularly of all days, it's important to stand up for the folks who are feeling threatened or vulnerable at a time in which we need to pull together,” said Susan Kjellberg of Sandwich.
Kjellberg drove down to show her support to any immigrants who might be checking in with ICE on the first full day of the Trump Administration. By the end of inauguration day, Trump had signed several executive orders aimed at tightening immigration, and another that would end birthright citizenship for babies born to parents who are in the country without legal status, or have temporary legal status.
Kjellberg is a member of the North Sandwich Friends meeting and is in the process of being ordained as an interfaith chaplain to work at the Stratford County Jail in Dover, the state’s only immigration detention center.
She said her faith tradition has a long history of working to fight oppression and prejudice and believes that everyone has a right to peace and justice.
Tuesday’s vigil is part of ongoing activism around immigration led by faith leaders, including recurring visits to the Strafford County Jail in The monthly vigil was started in 2017 by Rev. Sandra Pontoh of the Maranatha United Church of Christ in Madbury.
During the first Trump administration, some Indonesian families were afraid of being deported during routine check-ins. Because of this, faith leaders started joining the vigil as a way of showing their support. The Granite State Organizing Project has continued organizing the vigil for the past four years, with a short break during the pandemic.
For activist Maggie Fogarty of the New Hampshire American Friends Service Committee, showing ongoing support for immigrants is important – especially during Trump’s second term. She said activists are going to be issuing more frequent calls for supporters to gather outside sites of immigration enforcement.
“We're going to be here,” she said. “And we're going to keep growing in number and deepening our commitment so that our solidarity is visible and meaningful wherever possible.”