As Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity sparks fear throughout the Triangle, several Durham religious organizations seek to provide support for their impacted neighbors. 

ICE agents were first seen in Durham on Tuesday, Nov. 18 following the mass immigration enforcement effort Operation Charlotte’s Web in Charlotte, N.C. City officials reported that at least 20 immigration raids took place in Durham on that day.

In a video posted to her social media accounts, Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam confirmed the arrest of three people at an Avondale Drive shopping center. The Durham Voice has been unable to confirm any arrests at this time.

In response to this activity, and the fear it has created, local religious organizations have spoken out against ICE’s presence in their communities. 

“As people of faith, we denounce these actions as contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ,” officials from St. Philip’s Episcopal Church said in a Nov. 19 release. “If you or your neighbors are afraid or impacted, you are not alone. We are praying with you, and we are committed to showing up for justice and safety for all of our neighbors.”

In addition to condemning ICE’s presence in the Triangle, the statement also provided resources for congregation members to assist those impacted by the raids. It described ways to assist in reporting ICE activity and supporting Durham students and families, including Latine grassroots organization Siembra NC and the Durham Latino Educational Achievement Partnership. 

Durham Congregations in Action, a collaborative religious nonprofit in the area, is also organizing to support the city’s immigrant population, in partnership with other community outreach services. The alliance mobilizes to promote social justice among individuals of diverse faiths, and works to support “racial justice, social equity, and human dignity.” 

In recent weeks, the organization has been working to coordinate information, resources, donations and contacts to assist congregations in supporting immigrant communities. If needed, families can also contact the organization directly to be connected with these materials.

In partnership with Duke Memorial United Methodist Church, the Durham Association of Educators, Durham for All and Siembra NC, the DCIA sponsored a “How to Respond to ICE” training on Nov. 16. The training was open to all and free of charge.

The DCIA is also currently taking applications for a food security microgrant, financed by the county. Applications are open until Dec. 12, and organizations can be awarded up to $5,000.

Related to its food security efforts, the DCIA recently helped to kickstart the Durham Community Care Collective, a group of local nonprofits that banded together to supply resources to food-insecure Durhamites. The effort specifically targets the city’s immigrant population, many of whom feel unsafe leaving their homes during this time. 

Other organizations in the collective include Church World Service (CWS) Durham, Durham Public Schools Strong, Durham for All, El Futuro Student U, the DPS Foundation, Emanuel Food Pantry, Judea Reform, El Centro Hispano, Inc. and Day One Relief. 

On Nov. 20, the group distributed 13,000 meals to 650 families across the city. A Facebook post authored by CWS Durham stated that 916 donors contributed $106,000 toward the effort. 

A Nov. 25 update from the DCIA, posted to the organization’s Instagram, said that the collective had since distributed 23,000 meals to 1,150 Durham families.

According to DCIA executive director Rev. Breana van Velzen, all hands are currently on deck among affiliated congregations. Common values among congregants have allowed churches to easily mobilize in support of their immigrant neighbors.

“It’s deeply a part of all of our religions to be there for the community, to work for a world of justice, for there to be love,” van Velzen said.

As part of this mobilization, the DCIA is working with other organizations to create programming for the spring, including Know Your Rights training and Fourth Amendment workplace training. The organization is also working with Carolina Legal Services to provide further resources related to detainment and the judicial system. 

“We’re working on getting as much information out there as possible to equip folks, and then coordinate people who want to help,” van Velzen said. “We want to make sure our immigrant neighbors are protected and have what they need.”

The DCIA is also collaborating with World Relief Durham to potentially sponsor Immigration 101 workshops that go into further detail regarding the American immigration system. 

World Relief is a global, faith-based, nongovernmental organization. Though it currently conducts humanitarian efforts across 10 countries, the organization’s sole focus in the United States is on immigrants and refugees.

“Welcoming foreigners is a very biblical concept, and it’s central to our faith,” Adam Clark, executive director of World Relief Durham, said. 

Educating clients is one of the organization’s major focuses, as immigration policy changes frequently in the United States. World Relief Durham has sponsored several outreach events and workshops to help individuals in the Triangle understand their rights in the face of such changes. 

The organization’s staff and clients alike are also receiving training on how to respond to potential ICE encounters in different contexts, especially in sensitive locations such as churches, hospitals and schools.

In addition to general educational services, World Relief Durham is also placing a specific emphasis on family separation. Clark said that planning for these separations is often inadequate, which exacerbates immigrants’ fears.

The demand for immigration legal services has also jumped in recent weeks, according to Clark. He said that the waitlist for World Relief Durham’s services has surged to between three and four months, as the demand within the community is “tremendous.”

Similarly to the DCIA, World Relief Durham has organized food drives with churches and other community partners to support the immigrant community, many of whom are experiencing heightened food insecurity.

“We know that this is going hand in hand with SNAP benefits for many of the same families who are impacted by ICE enforcement,” Clark said.

Outside of its frontline efforts, World Relief Durham’s Christian base has also sparked a campaign for advocacy, both in the Triangle and across the country. 

“We’re trying to speak out as much as possible, in the local media and national media, to try to oppose policies we consider un-American, unchristian and immoral,” Clark said. 

Through this advocacy work, religious groups such as the DCIA and World Relief Durham are, while rooted in their faiths, advocating for more “hospitable, humane and fair” policies, he said.