Days after President Trump announced a roll-back of ICE’s sensitive site memo, diverse faith communities came together to propose historic litigation for religious freedom. 

By late January, Democracy Forward filed a lawsuit on behalf of Baptists, Sikhs and Quakers to block ICE enforcement at Plaintiff’s Houses of Worship. Then, on February 11, over two dozen Christian and Jewish organizations filed a law suit seeking a similar injunction. 

ICNY participated when possible, while continuing to find ways to enlist faith communities to resist the chilling effect of Trump’s Executive Orders on our right to worship and serve. That is why, together with JTS, UTS, TheBeaconNYC, and T'ruah, we are launching a weekly vigil entitled “Multifaith Mondays: Witness to Democracy” to take place every Monday from 5:30 – 6 pm starting tonight until the last Monday in May. 

Participating in Multifaith Mondays is a great way to collectively reinforce and strengthen our shared moral authority. If your house of worship or community organization would like to host a Monday vigil, please sign up here:

If you haven’t already, you’ll want to read ICNY’s new Advocacy Blog Series “Faith & Action for New New Yorkers” which most recently included ICNY House of Worship Sanctuary Guidelines, and an incredible resource guide for supporting immigrant New Yorkers and understanding Trump's immigration related Executive Orders.

Are you or someone you know in the legal profession and looking to receive CLE credits by learning about  Law, Religion, and Civil Society with experts like Alina Das, Co-Director of Immigrant Rights Clinic, NYU School of Law Dr. Rucha Kaur, Sikh Coalition, and Elizabeth Reiner Platt, Director of the Law, Rights, and Religion Project at Columbia Law School? Click here to learn more about our upcoming program with New York Law School or take a look at our listing below.

Finally, at the end of this newsletter, you will see a petition for action for two individuals who are seeking relief from the oppressive situation that the current policy on migrants puts people. Please assist them however you can.

Sincerely, 

Starting this Monday, March 3rd, faith leaders and community members will gather weekly at Columbus Circle to stand in solidarity and bear moral witness for democracy. Each vigil, held from 5:30 to 6:00 PM at the USS Maine Monument on the southwest corner of Central Park, will be hosted by a different faith community or interfaith coalition. Through prayer, song, and collective presence, we affirm the power of spiritual resilience in the face of challenges to democratic values.

These gatherings serve as a space for reflection, connection, and public witness, reminding us of the shared moral responsibility across faith traditions to uphold justice and human dignity. If your house of worship or community organization would like to host a Monday vigil, please sign up here. We invite all to join in this weekly call for unity and action.

Sponsors Include: The Interfaith Center of New York | Union Theological Seminary | The Jewish Theological Seminary | Episcopal Diocese of New York | The Riverside Church | T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights | The BeaconNYC

Please join ICNY and New York Law School to explore the rapidly changing legal landscape for both faith-based and secular nonprofit organizations. These civil society organizations provide vital services for all New Yorkers and play essential roles in American democracy, but their future is uncertain in our increasingly polarized social and political environment.

The conference offers three continuing legal education credits for New York State attorneys, but it’s not intended for lawyers alone! In Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville famously argued that “The health of a democratic society may be measured by the quality of functions performed by private citizens.” All are welcome to join the conversation.

The keynote dialogue will bridge partisan and religious divides, with a conversation between Rev. Dr. Emma Jordan-Simpson, President of Auburn Theological Seminary, and Edward Mechmann, Esq., Director of Public Policy for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. Panel discussions of tax, nonprofit, and immigration law will feature legal scholars, policy advocates, and community leaders.  A continental breakfast will be served.

Click here to view the full conference program, and click the button below or scan the QR code above to register. We hope to see you on March 20.

Join for a special screening of The Arrivals, a documentary that chronicles the experiences of asylum seekers transported to New York City from the Texas border in 2022. The film spotlights the tireless efforts of three volunteer-led organizations, headed by Adama Bah, Ilze Thielmann, and Power Malu, who provide essential support—including food, clothing, legal assistance, and a sense of security—to individuals and families striving for a better life. Through their stories, The Arrivals underscores the profound impact of human kindness and reminds us of our shared immigrant heritage and interconnected humanity.

This event is presented in partnership with D3 Open Arms, The Interfaith Center of New York, Mañana Otro Día, New York Jewish Agenda, SAJ, The Shul of New York, St. Paul & St. Andrew United Methodist Church, The Synagogue Coalition on the Refugee and Immigration Crisis, and Team TLC NYC.

Following the film, there will be a Q&A session with director Andrea Garbarini and representatives from Neighbors Link, offering an opportunity to delve deeper into the issues presented and explore ways to support asylum seekers in our community.

Tickets are $15 for members and $20 for non-members. Don't miss this chance to engage with a poignant narrative that highlights the resilience of the human spirit.

Stand in solidarity with the people of Selma, Alabama, as we march to support voting rights, civil rights, and unity against hate and threats to democracy.

For more information, contact Abate Hate: Norman Siegel 347) 907-0867 or Harriet Michel (646) 373-3276

Join the NYU Immigrant Rights Clinic, along with NYU Parole Advocacy, for a screening of the A24 oscar-nominated film, Sing Sing, followed by a panel discussion featuring Shakoure Charpentier.

Sing Sing centers the story of Divine G, who finds meaning in staging a theatrical comedy with other incarcerated men through the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program, while imprisoned at Sing Sing. The film stars Colman Domingo alongside formerly incarcerated individuals who were alumni of the RTA program. Shakoure was a founding member of a similar program, the Story Arts & Theater Collaborative, while imprisoned at Otisville Correctional Facility, and also developed relationships with many of the Sing Sing team during his own period of incarceration at Sing Sing. Shakoure will speak to these experiences as well as his pardon campaign to stop his unjust deportation and ways the community can aid his effort. We would love to see his supporters there! 

The screening will be followed by a discussion between Shakoure, Divine G, and Brent Buell, to be moderated by Professor Vincent Southerland. Divine G is a founding member of the RTA program and a co-producer and writer of Sing Sing, for which he has received an Oscar nomination. Divine G is portrayed in the film by Coleman Domingo. Brent Buell is a co-producer of Sing Sing and is portrayed in the film by Paul Raci. Brent is also a ten-year volunteer with the RTA program. 

There is not a cost to attend the event, but we will be accepting donations on behalf of NYU Parole Advocacy's Mutual Aid Campaign. Contributions will support commissary and re-entry funds for the incarcerated community members we work with at Parole Advocacy.

RSVP's are required and can be completed here or the button below. If you RSVP and are no longer able to attend, please email ish6534@nyu.edu to notify us, as there is limited capacity to attend this event.

Join Redeemer – St. John’s Lutheran Church for a special service as they welcome Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac of Christmas Lutheran Church (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land) as their guest preacher.

Following worship, Pr. Khader Khalilia will moderate a conversation with Rev. Dr. Isaac on his new book, Christ in the Rubble.

A special reception will follow. Join for this meaningful time of worship, discussion, and fellowship.

If you are a faith leader in New York, please consider signing on to the letter in this link in support for Fabia Hidalgo, who has lived in the United States for over fifty years as a lawful permanent resident. Ms. Hidalgo is seeking a pardon from Governor Hochul to ensure that she cannot be detained and deported during this time of incredibly aggressive immigration enforcement.

Ms. Hidalgo's story is a testament to the critical role faith can play in healing and recovery. For many years, she struggled to access appropriate mental health treatment and used substances to cope, leading to several contacts with law enforcement. Today, however, she has been sober for years, and credits her faith as anchoring her throughout her recovery.

If you are a faith leader who would like to sign on to the letter of support for Ms. Hidalgo, please complete the linked form or click the button below, which also contains more information about Ms. Hidalgo's story. Feel free to contact Jessica Coffrin-St. Julien at jcoffrin@bronxdefenders.org with questions.

There is a Columbia community member who was arrested by ICE and will be deported in a few days. This member of the community, a former fellow at Columbia University, has been a vital contributor to reentry for formerly incarcerated people—he has been involved with three reentry organizations in the Harlem community, helping returning citizens adjust and succeed after incarceration. On numerous occasions, he has been the contact point for resources for returning citizens. He has been separated from his fiance' by this deportation and will be sent to a country in which he has not lived in over 20 years with no resources to support himself.

He will be sent with nothing but the shirt on his back. When he arrives, he will need clothes, a place to live, food, and other basic amenities to meet a high cost of living. Please join in putting together funds to support this trusted friend and peer as he finds his way back to his feet.

Any contribution will help. If you can’t donate, please share and spread the word. Thank you for standing with this community member in this cruel time.

The Interfaith Center of New York (ICNY) works to overcome prejudice, violence, and misunderstanding by activating the power of the city's grassroots religious and civic leaders and their communities.