A four-day, 40-mile walk from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices at the Norris Cotton Federal Building in Manchester to the Strafford County House of Corrections, where immigrants are detained for processing and potential deportation, ended with a prayer service and vigil outside the jail Saturday.
“There are a lot of tears in our society,” said the Rev. Robert Fellows of the Community Congregational Church in Greenland. “If we each find one tear and work to mend it, perhaps we can repair the tapestry of our country.”
The walk, led by faith and community leaders from across the state, mirrored the trip of an immigrant who is detained by ICE in Manchester and then taken to the jail. It aimed to raise awareness of the plight of immigrants in the Northeast, showing immigration issues do not happen only at the country’s southern border. The speakers included multi-faith ministry members and stories from several immigrants who have already faced arrests and spent time at the Strafford County jail.
