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Small plumes of smoke from newly extinguished candles rose in the sanctuary of Immaculate Conception Parish in downtown Cedar Rapids as a young Hispanic man, Sergao, explained why it was important for him to come to the church and pray for all affected by the recent immigration raids in Postville.
“It was important to pray for all of the people who are suffering and about the changes that have happened in their lives,” he said. “There needs to be a stand of solidarity — it is important for all Christians to pray about the circumstance, to pray for there to be changes.”
Rev. Nils Hernandez, who is an associate pastor at Immaculate Conception and leads the Hispanic ministry there, visited St. Bridget Parish in Postville following the May 12 immigration raids on Agriprocessors. While watching participants exit the Cedar Rapids church Thursday night following the service, he said he was pleased so many had come to the bilingual prayer service.
“I was really nervous that we were not going to get even 50 people, but we had a good turnout,” he said. “This shows that people in Cedar Rapids do care about the well-being of other human beings, and that they are in solidarity with the pain that these people, our people, are going through. We not only pray for those who are in the prison, but also for the families who are suffering because of the ICE raids.”
The Hispanic ministry, Hernandez said, is small in Cedar Rapids when compared to other places within the state.
“We have about 200 worshipers,” he said. “I think [the Hispanic community members in Cedar Rapids] keep a low profile to some extent. That’s not to say that they feel insecure here, just that it is a much smaller community than what might be found in other cities like Waterloo or Marshalltown. When you have more people, there are more problems. When you have less people, less problems.”
After the Postville raids, members of the Cedar Rapids ministry were concerned.
“Not only just concerned, but they were really nervous,” Hernandez said. “What if this happened in our community? How are we going to respond to a crisis that may come to Cedar Rapids? Everything is possible, but we thank God that this has not happened in our city.”
The raid on Agriprocessors, a kosher meatpacking plant, has been labeled by federal officials as the largest in the nation’s history. Nearly 400 individuals were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As of Thursday, 76 percent of those detained have been convicted and sentenced on criminal charges relating to the use of fake documents for the purpose of gaining employment.
While most of those attending the prayer service were there to pray both for those affected and for immigration reform, Nick Felsing of Cedar Rapids came because he drove his mother-in-law, a church parishioner, to the service. Still, he said, he has sympathy for the individuals detained in the immigration raid.
“I do work around a lot of the Hispanic population in the area,” he said. “I don’t really like what’s going on, you know. I mean they are here to work and support their families, and that’s a whole lot more than you can say for a lot of other people.”
Jesse Martinez of Cedar Rapids had planned to lead those in attendance on a march from the church to Mays Island, near local and federal government buildings. Possible inclement weather prevented the march and outdoor candlelight vigil.
“It was awesome to see everyone come to the service, even if it was a little disappointing that the weather didn’t cooperate,” he said. “I was hoping to march down to the island and have our ceremony there, but this is God’s will and we had it here.”
Cedar Rapids, the second largest city in the state, had to host an event, even if it is 100 miles away from Postville, Martinez said.
“Waterloo… Des Moines… it seems that so many other cities have already held events in response to the immigration raids,” he said. “It was important that Cedar Rapids stand up, too. It was important that the people here have a venue for their voices.
“We need to pressure our senators and our representatives to change the laws that are on the books because they are just not working. Postvilles are going to continue to happen. Guaranteed. There’s another Postville coming, and they are going to keep coming until these laws get changed.”
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