INDIANAPOLIS — Folks in central Indiana are remembering people across the country who’ve been killed or caught up in the federal immigration crackdown.
A candlelight vigil was held at New Liberty Missionary Baptist Church on Friday.
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Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz, Francisco Gaspar-Andrew, Renee Good and Alex Pretti were just some of the 29 names on display.
“These are people’s lives. These are people who are scared and whose lives could be forever changed or lost," President of the Marion County Young Democrats Gabrielle Alford said. “Getting on social media and being able to watch someone get murdered in front of you is definitely going to be a motivating factor to say, ‘What can I do? What is going on?’”
Marion County Young Democrats was the organization behind Friday’s vigil.
“Our government is becoming increasingly authoritarian. ICE does not make our community safer. It does the exact opposite," Alford said.
Local Leaders, people of faith and politicians gave encouraging words to a packed audience.
“When ICE agents took lives in our streets, and the DOJ's initial response was to investigate the victims, as opposed to the individuals, it sent a message to us that our problems are not going to be solved in a federal courtroom," Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said at the podium.
One of the speakers, Allissa Impink, says ICE does not belong in Indianapolis.
“I see immigrants as being our neighbors. As being a part of our community, as being friends and family," Impink said.
R’Quiya Ruffin came to the vigil because she’s concerned about the lives lost at the hands of ICE officers.
“A lot of the things that are occurring right now are just devastating. There’s a lot of confusion. It’s very heartbreaking," Ruffin said.
MCYD encourages the public to consider donating to Exodus Refugee Immigration, Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance X Rapid Response and Umeed Hope to help the cause.
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Nico Pennisi is the In Your Community reporter for Downtown Indy. He joined WRTV in October 2022. His passion has always been telling the stories of people who often get overlooked. Share your story ideas and important issues with Nico by emailing him at nico.pennisi@wrtv.com.
