It’s a windy day in South Fallsburg, New York. People are getting away from the cold in the upper room at the Spark Center, formerly St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in South Fallsburg. Large white poster boards and colorful markers are scattered all across the tables and people are making signs as they eat leftover Halloween candy.
They’re all here with Rural and Migrant Ministry, who are Hosting a Car Caravan from the Spark Center all the way to the Sullivan County Courthouse in Monticello for a Vigil to Stand in Solidarity with Immigrants
The event is mostly attended by allies and supporters, as many of the people Rural and Migrant Ministry works with feel intimidated by increased ICE profiling and raids.
However, the supporters here today are making their demands clear on their signs and in their clothing. The many cars in the caravan that traveled along Route 42 all displayed messages of “Due Process,” “Solidarity,” “Love Your Neighbor,” and “Justice For All.”
Some members even wore keffiyehs to indicate solidarity with the Palestinian people. Sama Kotouri talked about how the treatment of immigrants in the United States directly correlates with our country’s military spending and how it harms Gaza, Sudan, and several other countries around the world.
“All of these issues are interconnected,” said Kotouri. “White supremacy, racism, colonialism, profiteering are all interrelated to what’s happening here and all over the world.
Angela D’Aiuto, Catskill Regional Coordinator for Rural and Migrant Ministry, also spoke about how even in times of division, she hoped this event would show how interconnected our struggles are.
“We have more in common than differences. And it’s so important we remember and reflect that we’re all immigrants and we all have an immigrant story,” said D’Aiuto. “And it might be many generations back, but we do have that in common as a country of immigrants.”
Once the caravan arrived at the Sullivan County Courthouse, community members shared the anxieties they feel about the Trump administration’s hawkish immigration policies and raised awareness about upcoming legislation that will protect immigrants and food processing workers in Sullivan County.
Many in rural New York live in fear after the September 2025 ICE Raid of the Nutrition Bars Confectioners Factory in Cato, NY that wrongfully deported at least one person. Through the vigil and caravan yesterday, Rural and Migrant Ministry gave attendees the chance to learn from each other and build community in the event they are ever targeted.
But it wasn’t all action items and policy. The vigil also highlighted poetry and song, with multiple choruses of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land,” and Mississippi John Hurts’ “We Shall Not be Moved” closing out the event.
To Rural & Migrant Ministry Executive Director Reverend Richard Witt, ending the event with songs you might hear in a place of worship is purposeful and a critical part of social justice work.
“Social justice and faith to me are the same thing. In order to be faithful, we have to be committed to loving our neighbor,” said Witt. “And to love our neighbor means that their dignity is honored.”
To learn more, please visit ruralmigrantministry.org
Image: Attendees to the Vigil at the Sullivan County Courthouse in Monticello, NY (Credit: Genevieve Hartnett)