“We have an opportunity before us as a community to reflect and decide together how we want to treat those who are immigrants who are also our neighbours,” Pastor Lezlie McCrory said, welcoming attendees to a June 30 vigil at Avondale United Methodist Church.
The vigil, organized by Pastor Neil Kring and the group Muncie Resists, was held in honor of a recently deported Muncie resident. Kring said he hopes such a gathering won’t be needed again.
“We do not want our neighbors to be quietly removed without anyone noticing. Every Muncie neighbor is important,” Kring said.
According to a Facebook post from Muncie Resist, the aforementioned Muncie resident was pulled over for speeding and driving without a license the morning of June 16 by a Muncie Police Department (MPD) Officer. The family was not able to pay his bond due to an immigration (ICE) hold.
After four days of being held, he was transferred to ICE custody in Indianapolis, then to Chicago, without the opportunity to stand before a judge. As of June 25, he could no longer be found on the ICE detainee website, and soon after was deported.
The Ball State Daily News reached out to MPD and the Delaware County Sheriff for more information, but has not received a response.
In a statement provided to the Daily News, Muncie Resists called for greater accountability:
“We call on the Muncie Police Department and the Delaware County Sheriff's Office to join many local law enforcement agencies around the country and refuse to cooperate with ICE … If the Delaware County Sheriff's Office and the Muncie Police Department plan to cooperate with ICE, we urge them to communicate their protocols to the residents of Delaware County. We are asking for transparency.”
Kring noted that while this was the first vigil held, he suspects other deportations have occurred quietly in the past. At a time of “heightened vulnerability,” he said, it’s critical to stay aware and examine our roles in these systems.
“The people who live here in the streets and neighborhoods of our community live with loving, hard-working immigrants who want the same things that all of us want, to build a good life for their families and a place to live,” Kring said.
The vigil included shared moments of silence and prayer. Attendees lit candles and wrote reflections or prayers on sheets of paper. Donations were collected to support the affected family.
McCroy said for community members who were unable to attend, she wants people to understand that “so much boils down to being a good neighbor.” She continued by saying that knowing each other is what builds trust, and by knowing and loving each other, Muncie can work through these difficult times.
Among those present were Jacqueline Hanoman, executive director of the Ross Community Center, and family coach at the center Julieth Páez, both of whom shared their immigrant identities first and foremost.
Páez encouraged others to reach out and show love to neighbors who may feel isolated, while Hanoman expressed gratitude for the turnout and emphasized the need for public education and empathy.
“People don't realize that those we're calling ‘illegals’ are not criminals. These immigrants have become community friends across the country, and we depend on them. We depend on these community friends for our food … and so many other things. They are the people who are the backbone of our society,” Hanoman said.
This story may be updated with more information as available.
Contact Trinity Rea via email at trinity.rea@bsu.edu or on X @thetrinityrea.
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