SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Experiences, emotions and calls for action came together as leaders from multiple faith traditions gathered at a Sacramento Area Congregations Together (Sac-ACT) Multi-Faith Prayer Vigil in downtown Sacramento to protest federal immigration enforcement and express solidarity with immigrant communities.
Every month since last year, priests, imams, rabbis and other religious figures have united under the shadow of the John Moss Federal Building to publicly protest actions taken by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under President Donald Trump.
Besides serving as a strong base of resistance against the administration, Sac-ACT’s small, consistent rallies have also become beacons of unity and solidarity for immigrant communities, according to Sac-ACT Community Organizer Maribel Arizmendiz.
Of the approximately 50 vigil attendees, most were white seniors, with an even distribution of men and women.
At 12:20 p.m., the opening blessing and statement were led by Interfaith Rev. Brother Seth Samuels. In his opening statements, Brother Samuels commented on the adversity Sac-ACT endured while carrying out its vigils.
Just last month, Sac-ACT was told by a security employee at the John Moss Federal Building that the vigil had to move locations, according to Sac-ACT leadership.
Moreover, Brother Samuels urged attendees to “find strength in facing fear together,” a statement especially applicable to Sac-ACT, as it is an organization that holds being multi-faith close to its core.
“Every tradition has a version of, ‘We all need to care for each other,’” Brother Samuels said in a later statement to the Vanguard following the vigil.
Following the opening blessing, Spring and Moose Keosoupha of Faith in Action East Bay took to the podium.
It was at this point that an individual stated, “Make America Great Again.”
The first of the married pair to speak was Spring Keosoupha, who acknowledged the privilege inherent in being born in America, drawing it akin to “winning the lottery.” To add to this point, Spring Keosoupha identified a “system of injustice” as what harmed immigrant communities, not just bullets.
To follow, Moose Keosoupha emphasized the danger of entities like ICE being present in everyday Americans’ lives. To Moose, the role of ICE is not solely concerned with immigration, but rather with acclimating people to a police state.
As part of their work with Faith in Action, Spring and Moose Keosoupha accompany immigrants detained by ICE as they are taken into court.
At 12:26 p.m., Rev. Bob Oshita of the Buddhist Church of Sacramento initiated a moment of reflection. Afterward, Rev. Oshita spoke about immigrants as dreamers and how such communities are in danger from institutions that fear change.
Next came Minister Roger Jones of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento. In a moment of silence, Minister Jones read the names of the 24 individuals who had died in ICE custody to date in 2026. This was followed by the names of the four individuals who died in ICE-related shootings. The list included names such as Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti.
In a short conversation before the vigil, Minister Jones shared with the Vanguard that the John Moss Federal Building contained ICE offices. He then went on to explain the interfaith aspect of Sac-ACT as one of strength because of faith traditions’ common values.
“All families are sacred,” Minister Roger Jones said in a statement to the Vanguard.
At 12:35 p.m., Rabbi Michael Fishback drew parallels between actions taken by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust and ICE officers. He then gave context to and led Kaddish, a Jewish prayer that is spoken in Aramaic.
Next came Father Loreto Rojas of Holy Spirit Catholic Church, who spoke about the differing conditions under which immigrants came to America. Father Rojas continued by reasoning that there is no “dichotomy between justice and compassion” and that the two could effectively coexist with policy.
In a statement to the Vanguard after the vigil, Father Rojas said it was difficult to separate religious teachings from politics. However, he maintained that his preaching of the word “solidarity” was in relation to “being one with one another,” and not any Polish Communist roots.
The next speaker was Sac-ACT Community Organizer Maribel Arizmendiz. Through her tears, Maribel shared her story of being an immigrant and a “privileged one at that,” as well as the impact Sac-ACT has had on the immigrant community around Sacramento. Ultimately, her speech focused on future steps Sac-ACT plans to take and upcoming events.
When asked afterward what she would say to President Trump, Maribel said:
“I hope the Lord touches your heart, so you can see the beauty of every human being and how your policies destroy that,” Maribel stated.
Maribel said that through Sac-ACT, she had begun her second act of life.
At 12:51 p.m., another speaker, a religious leader, took to the stage and urged the crowd to persevere through feelings of hurt and anger and to use them to make social justice progress. The Vanguard was unable to get their name.
The vigil ended at 1:02 p.m., with the next one scheduled for next month.
Despite the different speakers and different faiths, they all shared messages with similar themes. In each speech, lesson and prayer, topics of community, diversity and solidarity were covered.
When asked if the interfaith model of Sac-ACT made compromise and communication more difficult, Minister Roger Jones said no. This was because, as an interfaith organization, members shared common values.
“There is so much to learn from each other if we stop talking over each other and start listening,” Brother Seth Samuels said.
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Categories: Breaking News Immigration State of California Tags: ICE Immigration immigration enforcement Interfaith Sac-ACT Sacramento