Local faith leaders are speaking out on immigration enforcement, from churches to mosques.

Synagogues.

Many religious groups are taking to the streets to protest ramped up federal immigration action across the Chicago area.

Joining us to talk about these issues are Reverend Juan Vargas, associate pastor at our Lady of the Rosary Parish on Chicago's northwest side.

Rabbi Rachel Weiss from the Jewish Reconstructionist congregation in Evanston Romney national.

She be founder and executive director of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network.

And Reverend Quincy were intent.

Pastor at the Highland Park Presbyterian Church.

Thanks to all of you for joining us for this discussion.

I want to get a sense from all of you.

So the Department of Homeland Security's Operation Midway Blitz began in September.

And since then, of course, we have all seen the video of ICE agents in Chicago neighborhoods, masked men pending people to the ground as state leaders.

What is your reaction when you see video like that in and around your communities?

Father, want start with you, please it, Tony source anger within myself and also I kind of feel with the congregation this last lost the pope.

>> I know even before that, just listening to parishioners with this fear that was just kind of boarding up at this point, like seen that it just really create a lot of tension and and, you know, within myself, it's just like how do we bring, you know, hope to this community?

How do we hope to people to be able to walking just just around the neighborhood and be able to their normal life.

>> It's unconscionable.

What's happening.

I think we are seeing the worst of what human beings are capable of doing being enacted in our streets in our communities amongst people that are neighbors, they're our friends, our co-workers, people who are important members of our community who are not even feeling safe to let their children walk home from school to do their jobs, cutting lawns or going into their their places of of employment.

And we are feeling how and what do we do and trying to find as many tangible ways that we can stand up.

We can speak out.

We can be there and we can help.

From an SUV.

>> It's been really a reign of terror and it's inflicted some of the most dramatic set of circumstances that will be with people for the rest of their lives.

We're talking about women that have been selling them honest and neighborhoods for 30 years.

We're talking about residents of the South side like in South Shore woman that lived entire life on the South side, never confronted any form of violence until ice age and put a gun in her face that's affecting everyday people.

King came to the Chicago over 60 years ago in neighborhoods that worked in London for the last 30 years to confront what he called evil that was inflicted upon the city at that time.

I think at this moment we need to as faith leaders and organizers call what we're seeing, what it is.

It's evil.

>> Strong words Reverend.

>> Yeah, I agree with everything everybody Definitely sense of shock and I'm hoping a righteous anger.

Quickly followed the question of what Christ have do and where would cry said a stand?

>> A rabbi, your synagogue in Evanston.

It's right next to where ICE has been active in Evanston, detaining people.

How are members of your congregation reacting?

Our candidates are showing up and saying what do I do?

They are getting whistles.

They are being trained.

They are coming into the streets.

They are standing across from Home Depot.

They're walking around the neighborhood, making sure that they are seeing what they can see and ready to call out.

They're also gathering together to at support one another.

We know so many families that don't have enough food right now that aren't able work or terrified to leave their houses.

And so our congregation collected over $5,000 in gift cards over our high holidays as a start to say, how do we give these to school social workers and ESL teachers?

How do we help a little bit makes something easier that we can in the face of so much destruction and so much of humanity photo and tell us about some of your because you said that members have asked for zoom option because they're scared to make the trip to church.

Yeah, it's been unfortunate where like?

>> mass attendance has been kind of regular.

You kind of see a little bit of a flow that goes up and down.

But not too dramatic.

But when it comes to light the day today, you know, religious education costs like that's where like I'm just scared of walking out with my child.

And so is there an option go back to what we had and we experienced of COVID, which is a sad and, you know, to know that the human encounters necessary, especially when our faith by fan just recognizing the dignity of others.

And so we've gone back to some of those classes and others have also given the opportunity car pulls, says like what we we take the same class, have always go together.

And I think you often so point so, that's it's been a very alarming to hear that from starting as soon mask just yet as the COVID days.

No, not yet.

One of the things is that we talked about it is just a calm at the end of the day since people are still coming.

But this is the one thing that's normal.

The one thing where they can calm and just kind of take a deep breath.

>> We don't know that's going to last for long.

You know, as you know, we've seen that there's been some ice presence in my parking lots churches and so forth.

So it's just being really careful with that.

But we can't lose that.

That strand of ensuring to give some are mallet, eat everything that's happening.

>> Revenue Bennett, the broad, detention center every week since September on.

In fact, you were standing just feet away from Reverend David Black out when he was pepper sprayed and hit with pepper.

What was that moment like?

>> Terrifying shocking.

again moment of righteous anger and it quickly shifted to find him if they're doing this to us broad daylight, they're doing this to clergy in front of cameras.

What in the world is going on inside detention center that has oversight.

And how are those people being treated?

Yeah, and we're looking at some of that video just now of that incident happening >> roaming we've seen students investigated or even detained for voicing support for Palestinians.

We have seen clergy pepper sprayed for protesting outside Broadview as we're discussing.

You've spent decades in interfaith activism.

What does it say to you that people who dissent, whether it is over Gaza or ISIS presence in our communities, that it's being met with this kind of state response one of our legendary organizers from the South side, Chicago Pentecostal preacher once used to say in our sermon who got next.

And I think right now what we as organizers and also rooted in faith like that one shun that I leave in a city with some action network.

The man knows that, you know, none of us are isolated from the types of tactics that we're seeing deployed, whether it's fathers in broad when the Ritz, you know, inside folks as homes and so one of the things that we know we need to do in this moment is find ways to connect together to stay together and to find ways to realize that there is no limits to the types of tactics that they're willing to deploy.

So there should be no limits in organizing tactics that were ready to use to bring hearts and communities and minds together that lean into the best of our traditions, especially in this moment.

>> To all of you, what do what is your, you know, your respective faiths, what they say about the persecution of in this case, immigrants and some will say all black and brown people.

But what is for one will come to you first.

What is your fate say about the persecution of humans of immigrants in this case?

>> it's just recognizing that people are just looking for, you know, play to survive.

And starfish just kind of says it's like how and your heart you becoming more Christ like and this can be both for the immigrant also for those that are persecuting following others like, how are you exemplifying what Christ taught us and what he came to do when you come to master, come to celebrate the Eucharist to come to.

He seemed Jesus Christ himself in at the end.

That's an invitation for conversion conversion.

Meaning you trying to glorify the road the best we can and it starts at home.

It starts with how do you provide to your family?

How do you do that?

And so even for the immigrant is how do you how do we get out of, you know, whatever difficulty or poor situation we're living in or violence and it's so it's again following the steps of Christ to be able to be safe and be able to live.

You know, just a life that can take you to that Santa to that we're all called to >> Judaism believes that every human being is created.

LaMelo.

which translates to in the image of the divine.

We don't know what looks like.

So God must look like us all.

And the idea that 36 times in the Tara, it says that you shall love the stranger, the immigrant, the person who has different among you.

And it is a deep part of our tradition to look back and say this has happened to us.

This has happened to other people.

It is our responsibility to recognize the good in human beings.

We believe that human beings are created.

Good.

And if we're all created essentially good at heart, then it's our responsibility to help uncover that good in others.

And the best way we can do that is in relationships with other people in thinking about how we use our Jewish traditions, too.

Both nourish and raise us up in this moment in ICE and immigration.

Jews aren't being targeted.

But yet, as you said, Robbie, I think who's next in this question of how do we with empathy?

And with quarter values and making relationships and reaching out to one another partner with each other each other's burdens and to really live the values that that we believe me.

>> Yeah.

In the in the tradition there's a prophetic, Heidi.

The tradition from the Prophet Muhammad peace blessings be that said none of you believe unless you want for your brother and sister, what you want for yourself.

And and the word here is none of you really have faith.

So for its a challenge, not just to the muscle commute, all faith communities.

If we don't put ourselves in the positions of one another and understand what does a family community that has been tending to people's lawns are sending bodies are working in anyone's neighborhood are working.

These fathers and mothers that have been working now coming home to a family that has been rent asunder and living in this extraordinary moment of trauma.

How do we connect to that?

And like you said earlier, none of us in this moment.

Free from Even if you espouse basic human dignity for Palestinians are whether you're standing with your Latino neighbors or whether you're standing with you right for African-American, black and brown communities that have been traumatized.

This is a moment that challenges our core expression of faith.

And I believe it's a challenge, but it's also an opportunity to stand up and exemplify what real faith looks like.

Reverend.

Yeah, I got my reading of scripture leads me to believe that God is preferential treatment to the poor the marginalized and the oppressed.

>> And we see Jesus talking prophetically teaching prophetically in living prophetically that we need to stand with those people and make sure that they know that they loved by God and that God's grace extends to them.

And one of the things that we see Jesus condemning people for are people like me in this country are privileged just by the nature of my skin.

My ethnicity, my gender, my sexuality Jesus condemns people in my position who do not use that privilege to stand up for the people who can't stand by themselves and I can't speak for themselves.

And so for me, it's it's a matter of if the gospel is going to claim supreme in my life.

Then I have to take the teachings of Jesus very seriously.

Which means that I to the to use my privilege.

To show preferential treatment to the press, the marginalized and the outcast.

All of that said, do you feel like you've heard our national and federal leaders in power?

>> Hughes get basically Christian nationalism to justify their actions.

>> Yeah, they have.

And I think the use scripture that that they've utilized has been nothing short of an affront to the Gospel, plain and simple.

I think it's important and it's one of the most offensive uses of scripture to to use it too dominate in dehumanize people is the antithesis of the teachings of Christ.

And so I think we need to take of a very hard look at ourselves as faith leaders and make sure that we speak out very loudly very clearly and very plainly it it's an important piece of scripture.

>> Rabbi, for many in Jewish community, there is a collective memory of soldiers patrolling the streets in Europe.

When you see masked men detaining men and women and sometimes children and American neighborhoods today.

Does that history?

Does that come to mind for Absolutely.

I've had congregants say to me, this feels like Germany, 1938, when my grandparents are my parents where terrified to leave their houses.

And at the same time, we also look at the history that says, look who came out and supported us.

Look who came out to say this is wrong.

We have to stop this and who spoke up.

And that's really what we're trying to embody to say that Judaism doesn't say, well, this happened to us.

So we survived it.

And now we're done.

It says in every generation you have to tell the story of the exodus as though you lived it yourself and you're still living yourself to remind ourselves that well, we might have a level of privilege is most of us in our congregation are white and middle class.

But our neighbors don't.

And so it's our obligation to say how do we, as you said, use that privilege.

How do we stand up and make sure that we're surrounding and a company?

Father?

Juan, you join Eucharistic procession to the Broad View Detention center a few weeks ago.

You what we're hoping you all were hoping to hold a service for those on the inside.

We will out now.

So we were denied There was congregation about 7 that we're going to try and distribute communion inside.

>> That was denied.

So now we're going to try to get November first on Saturday will be having a mask outside about the detention center and another group will also be trying to attempt to go inside.

And so to be able to distribute hope, not just communion to those that can receive but also hope to the rest that are there.

>> Revenue warning to the national detention standards requires that people in ICE custody be allowed to practice their faith and have adequate space for religious activities.

And it sounds from when also from what you've seen and heard that what or is that being allowed and what's the impact of not being able to observe your faith even though in detention?

No, it's Monday night.

Every there have been at least 3 or 4 efforts.

I think.

>> Just in the past month to try and get communion or religious services into them.

Obviously.

>> Might Roman Catholic brothers and sisters?

I think at the biggest push and I'm excited for you all to be there on Saturday.

I think it's wonderful.

>> To >> deny people access to, to be able to practice their faith.

back.

>> I don't even know what to say about it.

It's just it's we've been using the word of Horton unconscionable lot here in that.

It fits right in with I think especially people who are captive.

And separated from their families and their future so uncertain.

I mean, that's when they need to know God's presence among us.

And that's when they need to feel God's grace.

The most it in my tradition, it which isn't Roman Catholic, unfortunate and Presbyterian.

We believe that communion don't break are you know?

looking to get we believe that Communion is essentially steroid injection of grace into the community.

>> Right.

And so you're denying people grace, you're denying people the comfort of the Holy Spirit I mean, it.

That alone is a basic human rights violation.

Let alone the denial of a basic bands.

I mean, you 150 men crammed into a room together.

So it sounds like the 4th you have your work cut out for you thank you for joining us.

That's where we'll have to leave it.