An interfaith prayer walk will take place on Sunday, January 11, at 3:00 p.m. at the Federal Courthouse, 110 Federal Plaza, Central Islip, calling for accountability and an end to reported abuses by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The event is sponsored by the Long Island Immigrant Justice Alliance and Long Island Jobs with Justice.
Clergy and people of faith from across Long Island are invited to gather for a prayerful public witness in response to what organizers describe as escalating human and civil rights violations connected to immigration enforcement. Clergy will lead the walk in the vestments of their respective traditions, inviting participants into reflection, prayer, and solidarity.
The prayer walk follows several recent developments that have raised serious concern among faith leaders. On January 7, Renee Nicole Good, an American-born U.S. citizen, was killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. The killing has been widely condemned by Minnesota officials, including the governor, mayor of Minneapolis, and the city’s police chief.
Participants will also remember immigrants who have died while in ICE custody. According to reporting by The Guardian, 32 undocumented immigrants died in ICE custody during 2025, including Santos Banegas Reyes, who died after one day in custody at the Nassau County Jail in September. No charges have been filed in connection with his death.
Concerns about local conditions are also central to the prayer walk. In December, Federal Judge Gary R. Browndescribed the treatment of detained immigrants at the Central Islip Federal Courthouse as “inhumane and unlawful,” citing cold, overcrowded, and unsanitary holding cells. These findings followed protests that drew public attention to conditions faced by immigrants at the courthouse and other detention facilities.
Organizers note that the January 11 prayer walk builds on earlier interfaith action. In June, the Long Island Immigrant Justice Alliance and Long Island Jobs with Justice released an interfaith statement condemning mass deportations and the mistreatment of immigrants, which was signed by more than 200 Long Island religious and ethical leaders. In November, more than 250 people participated in an interfaith vigil in Huntington honoring immigrants who have disappeared following ICE arrests.
Faith leaders say the prayer walk reflects a growing moral response to what they see as systemic violations of human dignity. “People of faith on Long Island and across the country are raising their voices,” organizers said, “to demand accountability, an end to the mistreatment of immigrants in detention, and an end to the illegal use of force by ICE agents.”
For more information, contact the Rev. Kate Jones Calone of the Long Island Immigrant Justice Alliance.