This month in many major US cities people have taken to the streets to protest the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids that are apprehending people who may (or may not) be undocumented. Especially in Los Angeles, CA, mostly-peaceful demonstrations have been met not only by the local police, but also by the National Guard and active duty Marines deployed by the US president. Now, those affected by US immigration policy and those who are protesting those policies are in jeopardy. Please join this prayer for people in the streets, for people in fear of ICE and for the government officials who might be able to find a different way to go:
O God of the captive and the free,
You have called us to walk with those exiled and called strangers.
They are our friends and our family and we feel powerless to keep them safe.
There are those who take to the streets in righteous anger,
Holding signs, not weapons,
Crying out for the dignity of all.
For those detained in silence,
For families torn apart by forced separation,
for every person the system seeks to erase,
Let us remember them now.
May those with power be moved not by pressure,
But by conscience.
May those who legislate do so with love.
May those who protest be safe, and strong, and seen.
Be present in our streets.
Be loud in our lament.
Be near to those feeling despair.
Until justice rolls like water,
Let us pray, let us hope.
Amen
