In June of 2025, thousands mobilized in Los Angeles to protest the immigration raids led by the Department of Homeland Security.

Reverand Eddie Anderson leads prayer outside of the Federal Detention Building. June 2025.

Among those protesting were interfaith communities. Faith leaders led marches and prayer walks to the steps of the Federal Building in Downtown LA.

Faith leader Valarie Kaur leads the Faith Walk to the Federal Detention Building. June 2025.
Faith leader Valarie Kaur leads the Faith Walk to the Federal Detention Building. June 2025.

The faithful prayed, sang, and laid flowers on the steps of the government building as Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and members of the National Guard, dressed for warfare, lined the perimeters.

Los Angeles was not a war zone, however, and the protesters and detained migrants were not enemy combatants. Though there were some agitators, the majority engaged in peaceful protest and nonviolent resistance.

And though the Trump Administration claimed that they were going after immigrants that were “the worst of the worst,” over half of the individuals ICE has arrested have no criminal record.

A year after the raids, though families continue to be torn apart and constitutional rights continue to be violated, Angelenos are still mobilizing and advocating for immigrants.

Interfaith communities have been providing shelter, legal assistance, spiritual counsel, and peacefully protesting. As faith leader Valarie Kaur said on the steps of the Federal Building last summer, “we will come with flowers, with love as our guide.”