[Excerpt]

Pastors, priests and other faith leaders in Grand Rapids gathered together on a bitterly cold Martin Luther King Jr. Day to call for the humane treatment of immigrants — citizens and non-citizens — sharing stories from streets, sanctuaries and, in a few cases, detention cells.

The words of the late reverend and civil rights activist, who was assassinated, defined much of the event's rhetoric and tone.

"'Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that,'" said Lynette Sparks, a pastor and a representative for Together West Michigan, the nonprofit that hosted the Monday event.

"Friends, these are dark days for our immigrant and refugee neighbors," Sparks said. "[We have to] shine a light."

For Rev. Dale Dalman, his interpretation of how to shine a light has taken him to the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan where he has prayed, preached and had fellowship with those in ICE custody….

During the event, Dalman also shared the story of Jessica, an asylum-seeker from Colombia who has lived in the United States for a decade and been "in complete compliance" on her path to citizenship.

Last summer, according to Dalman, Jessica took a second job at a factory to help pay for her son's immigration lawyer. He, too, was in ICE custody. On Jessica's third day on the job, the factory was raided by ICE agents who placed her "and all her coworkers" in detention.

"Every night, she cried herself to sleep reading the Bible, because she was so terrorized at the thought she would never see her kids again,"

said Dalman, adding that Jessica spent three days in "full-body shackles" as she was transported across the country to North Lake.

"That's how we're treating people here in the United States," he said, fighting tears. "It makes me so angry that this is going on, and I'm so thankful we're shining light into the darkness."

The symbolism of light and dark also carried into the calls made by Together West Michigan and the faith leaders in attendance, including a call on ICE agents to "be people of the light, operating in the daylight and removing masks," and a call on commissioners and legislators to "use their light to review and hold accountable actions that dehumanize our neighbors.”…

Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand, who sat in the front row on Monday, said "anything I can do to make our city more welcoming in real terms, I'm going to do."

Together West Michigan has gained 900 signatures calling on ICE, public officials, and houses of worship to take specific actions to promote transparent, humane, and fair treatment of immigrant and refugee neighbors. 

[Photo credit: Dustin Dwyer, Michigan Public Radio]

Pastors, Priests in Grand Rapids Call for Humane Treatment of Immigrants, Demand ICE Agents Remove Masks, Fox17 West Michigan [pdf]

West Michigan Leaders Call for Immigrant Safety and ICE Protocol Changes on MLK Day, WGVY Public Media PBS NPR [pdf]

Grand Rapids Officials, Clergy and Community Leaders Condemn ICE in Press Conference, WWMT News3 [pdf] [video]

Grand Rapids Faith Leaders Call for More Humane Immigration Policies, Michigan Public Radio [pdf]