On the afternoon of Good Friday, a wave of over a hundred people donned in purple garments marched to the Massachusetts State House. The crowd, led by local faith and clergy members, raised signs above their heads and sang songs to mourn the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and protest against the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
“[Good Friday] is the day where we remember the persecution and death of Jesus,” said Stefanie Grossano, a pastoral resident at First Church Somerville. “We are purposely trying to draw a connection between the ways that Jesus was scapegoated and the ways that immigrants are being scapegoated.”
The group demanded the state pass the Dignity Not Deportations Act, put forth by the Massachusetts American Civil Liberties Union to “help guard against the abuse of power by ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents, ensure that our Commonwealth remains true to its values, and continue to safeguard state resources.”
The protest comes after multiple deportations of legal immigrants in the U.S. Rumeysa Öztürk of Tufts University and Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi of Columbia University were all involved in perceived pro-Palestine action on their college campuses prior to their detainments, ranging from attending demonstrations to penning op-eds.
“National security is important to protect our communities, however, the way that the Trump administration is doing it is inhumane,” said demonstrator Grace Agolia. “It’s from a position of fear rather than looking at the real gifts that immigrants offer to our communities.”
Sister Barbara Quinn from the Catholic Religious of the Sacred Heart connected the recent ICE detainees to the story of Jesus.
“As we remember how [Jesus] was falsely accused of sedition and sentenced to death, we are also mindful of our neighbors today, Mahmoud Khalil, Rumesya Öztürk, and Mohsen Mahdawi, who government agents have accused of aiding American enemies,” she said.
“We see that right now ICE is being used as a tool of political repression and so people are being criminalized for their political speech,” Grossano said. “As we call for immigration justice, we also need to call for a free Palestine because people are being scapegoated for their political speech.”
Pope Francis has previously rebuked the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts. In his final Easter address before his death the next morning, Francis called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Anna, an organizer from the Luce Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts, who did not provide a last name, encouraged people to call the hotline if they see ICE agents in their area. In a speech, she asked the crowd if any of them knew Öztürk, after which around a dozen people raised their hands.
“When ICE detains and deports individuals, their entire communities, their entire world, feels their loss,” she said, and then encouraged people to get involved with Luce.
The group of local faith leaders, clergy members, and followers of Christianity participated in song and prayer in front of the John F. Kennedy Federal Building on Friday afternoon.
“We gather in the spirit of repentance for this legacy and with a prayer of possibility that Jesus’ story and death may only be used for collective healing and liberation,” Rev. Mel Pace, one of the emcees, said.
Pace and Ylisse Bess, the other emcee and chaplain of Wellesley College, gave a brief summary of the story of Easter and introduced clergy members who each connected the holiday to current issues regarding immigration and the Trump administration.
After a prayer, the group marched down Cambridge and Tremont Streets towards the Massachusetts State House behind a banner that said “Massachusetts politicians: dignity not deportations.”
Speaking to the crowd at the State House, Grossano led a chant against ICE and called on Gov. Maura Healey, who is Catholic, to support Massachusetts as a sanctuary state.
In its first week in office, the Trump administration rolled back a directive that prevented ICE agents from enacting immigration raids in schools and churches. Healey has said Massachusetts is not a sanctuary state and that she supports “the apprehension of criminals in our communities” after ICE agents were first spotted in Massachusetts in January.
Boston has been directly targeted by the Trump administration for the city’s sanctuary city status. In March, Mayor Michelle Wu stood firm on her argument that the sanctuary city does not undermine public safety.
Some demonstrators said they appreciated Christian voices being used to protect immigrants.
“It helps us to remember that there are daily applications that we can make to … protect our communities, love our neighbors, and protect the immigrants,” said Diana Gaillardetz, a participant who gathered with her family in front of the State House. “It’s not something that just happened thousands of years ago, but this is something every year that we can remember and need to continue to take a stand on things.”
Greg Gaillardetz said that he felt sympathetic towards the immigrant communities and agreed that more needed to be done by Christians, Massachusetts leaders, and Boston residents.
“[Immigrants] are coming here because they are trying to escape lives that are dangerous and very difficult, and honestly, I would do the exact same thing as every single one of these immigrants that has come into the country,” Greg Gaillardetz said.
“Standing for immigrants is not just the right thing, it’s the Christian thing.”
