Vigil remembers lives lost during immigration enforcement

Indianapolis resident Kristen Shaw's son lives in Minneapolis, not far from where Alex Pretti was shot and killed by federal agents one week ago. She smiled as she described how proud she is of her son's action in the community, going out with his whistle and cell phone to document ICE activity. 

Shaw said she came to the vigil thinking of her son, and of immigrants she's met and helped through Exodus Refugee Immigration.

"We thought it was important to be here to support those who weren't born here, but belong here and make our lives better by being here," Shaw said.

Shaw was one of the many people who packed the New Liberty Missionary Baptist Church on Friday night. More than 100 people were estimated in attendance, with the crowd spilling out and looking in from a hallway. 

The vigil, organized by the Marion County Young Democrats, was for people who have died or disappeared during immigration enforcement. The pictures and names of 29 people were displayed on a poster board.

MCYD President Gabrielle Alford said that only represented people from 2026, according to her research.

"Our democracy is under threat right now," Alford said. "Lives are being taken senselessly and the only way that we're going to get through this is to come together as a community."

People held tealight candles during the gathering. At the end there was a moment of silence followed by music.

The vigil comes as protests against ICE and recent immigration enforcement efforts continue to take place across the country. Elected officials and community leaders took turns speaking to the crowd on Indianapolis' east side, calling people to take action, and to stand against the Trump administration and its immigration policies.

"This is not law and order," Pastor Darrell Brooks said. "This is state sponsored cruelty, and in my opinion, all they've done is traded their white sheets and hoods for masks."

Attendees were encouraged to support local immigration organizations, vote in upcoming elections, and go to the Indiana Statehouse to speak against immigration bills being considered by legislators this session. 

But as some encouraged people to be more active, speakers also cautioned people about sharing unverified reports. While there has been some ICE activity in Central Indiana, several reports have been determined to be misinformation. 

Alford said these kinds of reports, even ones found inaccurate, can cause mass panic.

"This is when we rely on the people who have been doing the work in this community for years," Alford said. "They are the subject matter experts. This is who you look to for information, for guidance. These are the people that are going to carry us through this storm."

Contact WFYI All Things Considered newscaster and reporter Samantha Horton at shorton@wfyi.org or on Signal at SamHorton.05