Becky Flory witnesses outside the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, where immigrants are detained.
Quakers believe in the inherent dignity of all people. But how do we live our beliefs in times of such brutal and sometimes deadly enforcement of cruel immigration policies?
Recent violence in Minnesota—including the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti—has served as yet another stark reminder of the brutality inherent in ICE and Border Patrol. They came amid the Trump administration’s ongoing deployment of thousands of federal immigration agents to Minnesota and cities around the country.
In Twin Cities, Minnesota, Quakers—alongside partners in the faith community—have refused to accept violence against immigrants in their communities. On Jan. 23, over 1,000 people of faith, led by the nonprofit group ISAIAH, held a nonviolent action at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. They were protesting ICE deportation flights—part of a wider response to the Trump administration’s attacks on immigrant communities.
With temperatures well below zero, 100 people were arrested as hundreds of others offered support.
Becky Flory, a member of the Twin Cities Friends Meeting and a longtime volunteer with AFSC, was among those who supported the action.
Discerning the call to act
It wasn’t initially easy to discern what to do, Becky says. She re-read Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1963 “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and saw that ISAIAH had fully prepared for the nonviolent action. King, she says, provided her a roadmap.
She also called Rick Wilson, director of AFSC’s Economic Justice work, for advice. “I’ve always loved Rick’s analogy of certain martial arts to peacemaking,” Becky says. “Rick gave me the Japanese word ‘matte,’ which translates as ‘wait’ or ‘stop.’ It refers to the importance of timing of an action.”
Ultimately, the hardest person she had to confront was herself. “I was afraid to be arrested, I was afraid to go,” Becky says. “I called Rick because I wanted a way out. But then I put myself in the Light and looked at myself, and realized I had to move through my fear. Otherwise, I’d convince myself this wasn’t a good thing to do, that it wouldn’t matter, that we wouldn’t get any press, etc. But I was able to set aside all my excuses.”
Taking action
When Becky went into the ISAIAH training for the action with another Quaker and her son-in-law, she felt herself begin to move. Not far enough to be arrested, but far enough to provide support to those who would be.
Becky Flory, left, with Sharon Goens-Bradley of Minneapolis, who recently retired as Regional Director of the AFSC Midwest Region.
As the Bloomington Police arrested each person at the airport, supporters sang songs and exclaimed, “We love you! We’ve got you! We are with you!”
“There were so many clergy there,” Becky said. “You felt like this message would be carried into the pulpits, and this energy would continue to flow outward. The civil disobedience was undergirded by a spirituality similar to that reflected in ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail.’ The people were so poised and resolute.”
She found the experience profoundly uplifting in connecting with her community. “When you’re in a group like that, it feels like you’re taking in a huge drink of fresh water, a great breath of fresh air, and restoration is coming,” Becky says. “You build resilience and courage. You go in uncertain, scared. But as you relax into the spirit that’s guiding all this, you feel yourself gaining strength and renewal.”
Hearing from other Friends in the Twin Cities
Quakers across the Twin Cities are finding ways to show up for immigrants in their communities. Two of Becky’s colleagues at Twin Cities Friends Meeting, Laura Kressin and Julie Doherty, are both ISAIAH “connectors” for the meeting. In the meeting’s latest newsletter, Laura writes about her experience joining the interfaith action at the airport:
“In the subzero temperatures, I knelt in silence, listening and waiting for spirit, to see if it would deliver a message. No message came to me from within, but I felt the spirit so strongly through the crowd gathered on the sidewalk as they shouted and cheered for us. The spirit of the people was loud and abundantly clear: we do not want ICE in Minnesota.
We love our neighbors, no matter where they come from, regardless of their immigration status or the color of their skin. They are what make our community great. … I feel proud to stand with other faith leaders. I feel proud to stand up for immigrants. I feel proud to stand up for Minnesotans.”
In a recent letter to Northern Yearly Meeting, Stephen Snyder, clerk of Minneapolis Friends Meeting, writes:
“Friends here are filled with gratitude and even joy at the outpouring of love as people all over our cities organize to care for others threatened by this darkness. Many Friends participate in organized networks such as the Immigrant Defense Network and Faith in Minnesota that train citizens in non-violent resistance and support for migrant communities.
Others host refugees, volunteer in the schools, contribute to food banks, and serve in other ways. As John wrote in his gospel centuries ago, the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. All of this gives us hope as we live through the darkness around us."
Quakers in Minnesota are demonstrating that, as authoritarianism and violence have risen, so has a nonviolent response grounded in love from people of conscience.
As a Quaker organization, AFSC recognizes that immigrants make our communities stronger. We will continue to call for an immigration system that is welcoming, dignified, and just. And we're supporting people in creating communities of care across the country.
