CT Faith Leaders Hold Prayer Gathering, Urge ICE Agents to 'Repent'

Christian and Jewish clergy call on immigration enforcement to end violent tactics and follow their conscience

Feb. 22, 2026 at 8:47pm

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On Ash Wednesday, Christian and Jewish faith leaders gathered in the rain outside the federal courthouse in Hartford, Connecticut to pray and call on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to put an end to violent tactics and follow their conscience. The clergy compared the current political situation to the biblical story of Esther, urging ICE agents to view the people they detain as their "brothers and sisters" and choose the "path of liberation" over "a system that puts our people in bondage."

Why it matters

The gathering highlights growing tensions between faith leaders and immigration enforcement, with clergy members arguing that ICE has become too corrupted and should be abolished as an institution. The event also coincided with the start of Ramadan and the Jewish holiday of Purim, underscoring the interfaith nature of the call for ICE agents to 'repent' and change their ways.

The details

The faith leaders, including Rabbi Debra Cantor, Rev. Scott Marks, and Rev. Allie Perry, read aloud a letter addressed to ICE agents and employees, calling on them to 'lay down your arms' and stop participating in a 'system that puts our people in bondage.' The letter highlighted the 'terror' and 'cruelty' that ICE has brought to communities, including the detention of 'mothers and fathers' and killings of protesters. The clergy members said repentance was not just about saying 'I'm sorry,' but choosing to stop supporting the current immigration enforcement system.

  • The gathering took place on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Ramadan, and the first day of the Jewish month of Adar.
  • Earlier this month, the clergy leaders met with Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro to discuss reforms for ICE, but ultimately pushed for the agency to be abolished.

The players

Rabbi Debra Cantor

Leader of Congregation B'nai Tikvoh-Sholom in Bloomfield.

Rev. Scott Marks

Director of New Haven Rising.

Rev. Allie Perry

Organizer of the gathering and member of Shalom United Church of Christ in New Haven.

Rev. Steve Jungkeit

Organizer of the gathering and member of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme.

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro

Democratic Congresswoman from Connecticut who met with the clergy leaders earlier this month.

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What they’re saying

“Our paths to God may be different, but we meet as one. In the prophetic cry for justice and compassion, we meet as one when we recognize the divine image in the faces of our neighbors, our teachers, our friends and coworkers, our elders and our children, and in the faces even of those who work for ICE.”

— Rabbi Debra Cantor, Leader of Congregation B'nai Tikvoh-Sholom in Bloomfield

“We see the body armor and the mirrored glasses, but our faith compels us to look past the gear to the person underneath. We know that no one can inflict trauma on a neighbor without wounding their own soul.”

— Rev. Scott Marks, Director of New Haven Rising

“True repentance isn't just saying 'I'm sorry.' It is a change of direction. It is choosing to stop participating in a system that puts our people in bondage, and instead choosing the path of liberation.”

— Rev. Scott Marks, Director of New Haven Rising

What’s next

The clergy members said they hope to be able to transmit the letter calling for repentance to ICE agents in the future, though they have not yet spoken directly with any ICE employees.

The takeaway

This event highlights the growing divide between faith leaders and immigration enforcement, with clergy members arguing that ICE has become too corrupted and calling on agents to abandon the current system in favor of a more humane and compassionate approach to immigration. The interfaith nature of the gathering underscores the broad support for reforming or abolishing ICE among religious communities in Connecticut.