Since federal agents descended on the city, faith leaders have rallied congregants, protested and devoted resources to serve immigrants
Kevin Kang, a pastor at a United Methodist church about 15 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, was furious last Thursday when he heard that the taco stand next door was raided by immigration agents.
Not only did US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) target his favorite vendors, he said, they had also used the church parking lot to prepare for a raid on a host of popular Mexican food trucks on Foothill Boulevard, a major street in the city of Tujunga.
Kang, who had been protesting all week in downtown LA, rallied congregants to put up signs declaring “ICE activities not welcome” on church grounds. They also procured walkie-talkies for church members to report Ice activities.
“When I look at the scripture, when I look at the message and story of Jesus, he constantly is telling us to defend the most vulnerable,” said Kang, a son of Korean immigrants. “In modern day, we’re all on stolen land, so how can we call somebody ‘illegal’?”
